Pinnacle Point Man facts for kids
The Pinnacle Point Man refers to a group of early humans, specifically Homo sapiens, who lived in a cave at Pinnacle Point about 164,000 years ago. This important cave is located near Mossel Bay on the south coast of South Africa.
Scientists found that these ancient people were quite skilled. They could work with a red mineral called haematite. They also used ochre, a natural earth pigment, possibly to paint their bodies. These discoveries are very exciting because they suggest that modern human behavior started much earlier than many scientists previously thought. It challenges the idea that such behavior only began around 45,000 years ago.
During that time, the climate in Africa became very cool and dry. This meant there was less food available on land. So, the Pinnacle Point people moved closer to the ocean. There, they found plenty of food like mussels, snails, and crabs from the sea. They also used very clever tools. For example, they made tiny stone tools called Microliths and attached them to wooden sticks.
The Discovery of Pinnacle Point Man
This amazing discovery was made in 2007. An international team of scientists worked together on the project. One key person was Curtis Marean, a palaeoanthropologist. A palaeoanthropologist is a scientist who studies ancient humans. Marean was from the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University. He worked with three of his students.
The team found that the humans living in the cave began to eat new kinds of food. They added shellfish and other foods from the ocean to their diet. This change happened because of climate change at the time. This is the first time scientists have found proof that early humans adapted their diet in this way.
The findings were published in the famous science magazine, Nature. The report also mentioned that evidence of using colored pigments was found. This is much earlier than the previous oldest known use of pigments, which was from 70,000 years ago. These discoveries suggest that living near the coast helped these early humans develop new behaviors.
Searching for Early Humans
Scientists believe that Homo sapiens first developed in Africa. This happened between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago. During that period, the world was going through an ice age, and much of Africa was a desert.
It is rare to find archaeological sites from this time in Africa. So, Curtis Marean looked at different kinds of information. He studied rock formations, ocean currents, and climate data. By putting all this information together, he was able to find promising places to search. This led him to the Pinnacle Point cave, where these important discoveries were made.
See also
In Spanish: Yacimiento arqueológico de Pinnacle Point para niños
