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Archaeologists have come across what they consider the most ancient wooden implements ever found — going back hundreds of millennia, as per a recent study.
The implements were located in the Megalopolis basin of Greece, a valley situated in the southern part of the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece.
Released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal around late January, the research approximates that the tools could be around 430,000 years of age, although their definite age remains undetermined.
According to a synopsis of the research acquired by Fox News Digital, the tools “embody the earliest handheld wooden implements, and encompass a novel tool variant.”
The findings “underscore the relevance of methodical scrutiny of early wood remnants,” the synopsis also states.
Archaeologists suggest that wooden tools discovered in the Megalopolis basin of Greece potentially date back approximately 430,000 years, positioning them as possibly the oldest of their kind. (Katerina Harvati, Dimitris Michailidis via AP; Prisma/UIG/Getty Images)
The locale where the tools were discovered was once characterized by swamps and lakes hundreds of millennia ago.
One of them — a staff — stretches about 2.5 feet in length. It was probably employed for delving in mud, whereas the other is a compact handheld fragment of wood that might have served in shaping lithic tools.
Due to the swift decomposition of wood, very few ancient tools of this nature endure.
The recently unearthed tools were encased in sediment and safeguarded by the surrounding humid milieu.
Investigators surmise that a smaller handheld segment of wood may have aided in shaping stone tools countless centuries past. (Katerina Harvati, Dimitris Michailidis via AP)
Contemporary humans were nonexistent during that era — prompting scholars to postulate that the tools might have been utilized by Neanderthals or other archaic human forerunners.
Annemieke Milks, an archaeologist from the University of Reading and the study’s author, expressed her “thrill at being able to interact with these artifacts.”
Another archaeologist voiced some reservations regarding the discovery.
Archaeologists indicate that a solitary wooden implement, spanning approximately 2.5 feet, was likely designated for excavating in muddy, damp terrain. (Katerina Harvati, Dimitris Michailidis via AP)
Jarod Hutson, affiliated with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, conveyed to The Associated Press that the tools’ functions remain indistinct.
“It’s hard to become enthusiastic about these because they don’t instantly register as wooden tools,” Hutson cautioned, noting his non-involvement in the study.
He further stated, “We lack understanding of their intended use.”
This relic supplements other prehistoric discoveries that have intrigued archaeologists in recent months.
Scientists propose that Neanderthals or other ancient human predecessors may have employed the tools before the emergence of modern humans. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
During the prior month, archaeologists made public the unearthing of cave paintings dating back around 68,000 years, unearthed in a cavern on a tropical isle in central Indonesia.
Moreover, researchers have lately pinpointed the most ancient-recognized poisoned arrowheads, estimating them to be around 60,000 years in age.
The Associated Press provided reporting assistance.