July 31, 2012

44,000 Year Old San Material Culture

Bone artifacts reminiscent of the San bush people were discovered in an African cave, further solidifying a link between modern human behavior and that of the San hunter-gatherer ancestors nearly 44,000 years ago. 

One tool in specific, a poison applicator, marks a distinct change in cultural behavior by a surge in use of organic materials. Although evidence does exist of specialized stone work dating about 75,000 years ago, those artifacts are difficult to decipher and have yet to provide a link similar to the poison applicator tools recently reanalyzed.
 
The abstract discussing these finds can be found at: PNAS San Material Culture