According to archaeologists, the structure is 476,000 years old. It was purposefully crafted with wooden tools to produce stable joints, demonstrating the mental capacity of Homo sapiens' ancestors.
Archaeologists used luminescence dating to determine the age of the unearthed structure
The oldest wooden building in the world has allegedly been discovered by archaeologists digging close to Zambia's Kalambo Falls.
Scientists estimate that the structure, fashioned from the logs of a large-fruited willow tree, was purposely constructed some 476,000 years ago since it is embedded in clay and is further preserved by a high water table.
The well-preserved specimen was created before Homo sapiens appeared, which, according to scientists, indicates a much better level of cognitive ability than has hitherto been given to such early forebears.
Prior to the discovery in Zambia, the oldest wooden building that was known to exist was only 9,000 years old. A sliver of plank dating to 780,000 years ago was found in Israel and is the oldest wooden artifact ever found.
Find also proposes breaks in the wandering way of life
An archaeologist from the University of Liverpool in the UK named Larry Barham told the AFP news agency that the structure had been stumbled upon in 2019 and was situated above a 235-meter-high (770-foot) waterfall on the banks of Zambia's Kalambo River.
The discovery was described in a study by Barham that was published in the academic journal Nature.
"The framework could have supported a walkway or platform raised above the seasonally wet surroundings. A platform could have multiple purposes including storage of firewood, tools, food and as a foundation on which to place a hut," said Barham.
"Not only did the working of trees require considerable skill, the right tools and planning, the effort involved suggests that the makers were staying in the location for extended periods whereas we have always had a model of Stone Age people as nomadic," Barham added.
"Use of wood in this way suggests the cognitive ability to these early humans was greater than we have believed based on stone tools alone," according to Barham.
Though they claim no skeletal remains have been found, scientists say they have found numerous wooden implements from the same period at the site.
Scientists say dense clay and a high water table helped preserve the structure for nearly half a million years
Smarter than he appeared: Homo heidelbergensis
The Homo heidelbergensis species, which lived between 700,000 and 200,000 years ago, is thought to have built the construction, which "involves the intentional shaping of two trees to create a framework of two interlocking supports," according to scientist Barham.
In comparison to earlier human species, this species had a broader brow, a larger braincase, and a flatter face.
Fossils of Homo heidelbergensis have been discovered in the area, according to Barham, who spoke to AFP.
The oldest fossilized remains of Homo sapiens, estimated to be about 300,000 years old, were discovered in Morocco.
Sunlight last penetrated wood half a million years ago
Although wooden artifacts were first discovered at the site in the 1950s and 1960s, scientists were unable to determine their exact age at the time.
In order to determine the age of the contemporary specimens, archaeologists utilized luminescence dating, a brand-new method that counts the number of times minerals have been exposed to sunshine.
The discovery said Barham: "changed how I thought about these people. They transformed their surroundings to make life easier, even if it was only by making a platform to sit on by the river to do their daily chores," he said.
"They used their intelligence, imagination and skills to create something they'd never seen before, something that had never previously existed."
