New evidence of Early Man found at Panga ya Saidi in Kilifi
Worked artefacts from Panga ya Saidi cave, from left: Beads made of a sea shell; ostrich eggshell beads and bone tools. PHOTO | FRANCESCO D'ERRICO AND AFRICA PITARCH
What you need to know:
Some of the items found revealed the complex cultural practices of the Early Man.
These include incised bones, ostrich eggshell beads, marine shell beads, and worked ochre.
Archaeologists have unearthed evidence that could add Kenya’s coast a new identity of Cradle of Mankind.
For many years, archaeological excavations in the country were focused on the Rift Valley region after evidence of the Early Man’s life was found in Turkana.
78,000 YEARS
However, results of a project by a team led by the German-based Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in partnership with the National Museums of Kenya found the first evidence of life in the Panga ya Saidi cave in Kilifi, from 78,000 years ago.
According to the researchers, this finding represents the longest archaeological sequence from the Middle Stone Age to the Iron Age, with evidence of gradual changes in cultural, technological and symbolic innovations from 67,000 years ago.
Analysis was carried out on archaeological plants, animals and shells from the cave and the findings indicate “a broad perseverance of forest and grassland environments”.
“As the cave environment underwent little variation over time, humans found the site attractive for occupation, even during periods of time when other parts of Africa would have been inhospitable,” the institution says in a statement.
“This suggests that humans exploited the cave environment and landscape over the long term, relying on plant and animal resources when the wider surrounding landscapes dried.”
BEADS
The findings also revealed a trend of humans of the Stone Age adopting smaller tools over the years, a habit that has stuck with the digital mankind to date.
“The miniaturisation of stone tools may reflect changes in hunting practices and behaviours,” the statement reads in part.
Some of the items found revealed the complex cultural practices of the Early Man.
These include incised bones, ostrich eggshell beads, marine shell beads, and worked ochre.
The oldest bead in Kenya dating back to 65,000 years ago was found in Panga ya Saidi cave.
Interestingly, the research did not find evidence of regular exploitation of marine resources for subsistence purposes at that period.
Researches involved in the project said these findings prove that the coastal region was not just used as a migratory route in Africa as widely believed in the past.
