76,000-year-old treasure reveals about "superhuman" tribe

(NLĐO) - An archaeological treasure that could reshape human history has been found deep within the equatorial rainforests of Africa.

At the Río Campo archaeological site, hidden deep within the rainforests of Equatorial Guinea, scientists have discovered a vast archaeological treasure trove, the oldest evidence in the world of organized human habitation in an equatorial rainforest environment.

The findings include 418 stone tools. Given their role at the time they were made, how they were made, their age of up to 40,000 years, and the groundbreaking information they provide, it is an unparalleled discovery.

Some stone tools from an archaeological treasure recently unearthed in Equatorial Guinea - Photo: IPHES-CERCA

According to Heritage Daily, studies of human evolution often focus on the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa.

However, recent discoveries suggest that prehistoric tribes existed in places that were previously thought uninhabitable.

Their "superhuman" ability to confront harsh natural conditions is actually a testament to their ability to create "ahead-of-their-time" technology, according to the authors from MCNN-CSIC and IPHES-CERCA in Spain.

MCNN-CSIC and IPHES-CERCA are research consortia comprising the National Museum of Natural Sciences, the National Council for Scientific Research, the Catalan Institute of Archaeology and Social Evolution, and the Association of Catalan Research Centers.

They examined 30 rock outcrops in the Río Campo area, 16 of which yielded the aforementioned 418 stone tools.

Using radiocarbon dating and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), they determined that these tools date back between 76,000 and 20,000 years.

Despite their ancient age, they are considered highly sophisticated, reflecting advanced craftsmanship and adaptive cultural strategies.

It was this ingenious ability to invent tools that enabled those who possessed them to navigate dense vegetation, extreme temperatures, and unpredictable resources to survive.

Professor Antonio Rosas, lead author of the study published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews , said this archaeological treasure has changed humanity's understanding of how our ancestors adapted to different environments.

"With the results from Rio Campo, we are expanding the map of prehistoric human behavior and placing Central Africa as a fundamental part of our human cultural and biological evolution," Professor Rosas added.

This discovery also shows that tropical forests—even in equatorial regions—are an essential setting in the evolutionary history of modern humans, despite a range of unfavorable conditions.

This not only rewrites an important chapter in human history but also helps explain why we Homo sapiens have survived on the planet to this day, while other human species have become extinct one after another.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/kho-bau-76000-tuoi-tiet-lo-ve-bo-toc-sieu-nhan-196250115113501982.htm