Unearthed inSibudu Cave, in KwaZulu-Natal, the ancient bed was made of bundles of sedge andwild quince leaves.
From Digital Journal
Posted Dec 9, 2011by LeighGoessl
Researchers haveuncovered the world's oldest bed to date. Unearthed in Sibudu, near the western South African city of Durban, scientists have found ancient bedding made of plants.
The international team, led by Lyn Wadley of Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand, found fossilized mats in a South African cave that are believed to have beenused as beds in prehistoric time. Excavation efforts found at least 15 layers of sediment, which included plant bedding dated between 77,000 and38,000 years ago.
According to Live Science, researchers saidthe find revealed how creative early man was.
Researchers believethis type of bedding was used as a multi-purpose item. The ancient bedding, made of evergreens, was constructed of medicinal type plants that would have warded off insects.
"The selection of these leaves for the construction ofbedding suggests that the early inhabitants of Sibudu had an intimate knowledgeof the plants surrounding the shelter, and were aware of their medicinal uses," Wadley said. "Herbal medicines would have providedadvantages for human health, and the use of insect-repelling plants adds a new dimension to our understanding of behavior 77,000 years ago."
Wadley has beenworking at this site since 1998.
Evidence suggests early man periodicallyburned the leaves, possibly as a way to ward off pests, or to simply get rid of debris. Wadley said she expectsto learn ancient man used these leaves for medicinal purposes as well. Many ofthe properties of the unearthed samples are composed of Cryptocarya woodii, a river wild-quince which, Wadley said, in modern day is used in traditional painkillers and other medicines.
The Associated Press (via Washington Post) reported Marlize Lombard, an anthropologist from theUniversity of Johannesburg, has researched indications that ancient Sibudupeople used intricate creations such as bows and arrows, which werecomplex technology for that time. Lombard said Wadley's find is also complex.
The weapons and the bedding “show that people then alreadyhad very advancedways of thinking about things,doing things,” Lombard said. Like people today, she said, they “did not always choosethe simplest solutions.”
Modern discoveries of ancient worlds are illuminating waysearly man was inventive and resourceful. Recently Digital Journal reported an ancient fish hook was found in southeast Asia, which suggests man wasdeep-sea fishing tens of thousands of years ago.
According to the World’s Record Academy, this finding sets the world record for oldest bed.
The completefindings of this remarkable discovery are shared in the Dec. 9 issue of thejournal Science.
'The early inhabitants of Sibudu had an intimate knowledge ofthe plants surrounding the shelter, and were aware of their medicinal uses,'says Professor Wadley.
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