A workshop dating back to 1.2 million years ago: the extraordinary discovery of two Sardinian researchers
Rita Melis and Laura Pioli (University of Cagliari) in the team working in Melka Kunture, Ethiopia, where artifacts have been found that date the development of hominid technical skills back by 500,000 years
In the large photo, the reconstruction of the environment. In the boxes, the artifacts found and the two researchers (Single Photo)
Exceptional discovery in the archaeological area of Melka Kunture, in Ethiopia, where the oldest artisan "workshop" of stone tools from the lower Pleistocene was brought to light.
The Italian-Spanish team that conducted the research, published in the prestigious journal "Nature", also included two researchers from the University of Cagliari: the geo-archaeologist Rita Melis and the volcanologist Laura Pioli .
«It is a discovery that allows us to confirm that the hominids, Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus, already possessed the ability to work a certain type of object and to develop new techniques, making the most of the acquired skills, much earlier than what is believed. thought so far», Dr. Melis explains to L'UnioneSarda.it.
How long ago are we talking?
"More than 1.2 million years ago, i.e. 500,000 years earlier than the data known so far".
What objects are these?
“Of stone artifacts and also obsidian. The latter is a particularly difficult material to work with, because it is fragile and sharp at the same time. Until now it was thought that at that time hominids did not have such a "refined" ability in processing».
How do you understand that it is really a workshop?
"From many clues, but above all from the level of accumulation of found objects, really impressive".
What were these artifacts used for?
«Mainly to strip the prey from flesh, so they were aimed at nourishment and survival».
Where is the discovery site located?
«In Simbiro, in the archaeological area of Melka Kunture, in Ethiopia, at an altitude of two thousand metres. It was identified in 1963 by the German archaeologist Gerard Dekker and excavations have continued since then. Italy has been present since 1999 with a mission directed by the La Sapienza University of Rome on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs».
What is life like for you researchers on site?
"It's not easy. Suffice it to say that during the day we work with temperatures reaching 40 degrees, while at night the thermometer even drops below zero and in the huts where we sleep we also have to wear three or four sweatshirts to protect ourselves from the cold. Furthermore, there is no water, which is taken from a well from a nearby village and carried there in drums on donkeys' backs.'
How is your relationship with the local population?
“Excavations started in the 1960s, so the locals are used to the presence of archaeologists and researchers. Some local residents have been working on the site since the very beginning, when they were 18 years old. And today they are veterans of the excavations and sometimes it happens that they are the ones to point out potentially interesting traces for our studies».
