Kenyan cave sheds new light on dawn of modern man

[Judi Lynn]

9-MAY-2018
AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Forty-eight thousand year-old crayons and shell beads were among a treasure trove of items unearthed by archaeologists at a cave in Kenya.

Archaeologists have discovered more than 30,000 items at the site which is shedding new light on the crucial time period when Homo sapiens first started showing signs of modern behaviour.

The research was led by archaeologist Dr Ceri Shipton of The Australian National University (ANU) School of Culture, History and Language, who said the Panga ya Saidi cave sequence dates back 78,000 years and is the only known site in East Africa with an unbroken archaeological record of human inhabitation.

"It is the most beautiful site I have ever worked on. As soon as I saw it I knew it was special," Dr Shipton said.

More:
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/anu-kcs050918.php