Archaeologists have uncovered what may be the earliest known wooden structure ever built, and it is far older than our own species. At Kalambo Falls in northern Zambia, researchers discovered two large, deliberately shaped wooden logs fitted together in a way that suggests planned construction nearly half a million years ago, as reported by Earth.com.
The preserved wood has been dated to around 476,000 years old, placing it roughly 300,000 years before the appearance of Homo sapiens. This makes the find extraordinary, not just because of its age, but because it shows that early hominins were building with wood in sophisticated ways, rather than using it only for firewood or simple tools.
The discovery was made at Kalambo Falls, a dramatic 770-foot waterfall near the border of Zambia and Tanzania, close to Lake Tanganyika. Beneath the cliffs, waterlogged river sediments created ideal conditions for preservation. Unlike most ancient sites where organic material decays, the constant moisture slowed decomposition, allowing wood and plant remains to survive for hundreds of thousands of years.
At the center of the find are two large logs arranged in a cross-like formation. One log lies across the other, with a carefully carved notch where they meet. Microscopic analysis revealed straight cut marks, scraping scars, and smoothed surfaces that strongly indicate deliberate shaping with stone tools. The way the notch edges were shaved makes it unlikely that the logs were naturally deposited by flowing water.
Alongside the structure, archaeologists uncovered other worked wooden objects, including a pointed wedge and what appears to be a digging stick. Together, these items resemble a small toolkit that could have been used to cut trees, split logs, and work the soil. The arrangement of the logs suggests the remains of a raised platform or working surface by the river rather than a random pile of timber.
Dating the structure required advanced techniques, since radiocarbon dating does not work at such great ages. Researchers used luminescence dating, measuring how long mineral grains in surrounding sediments had been buried without exposure to light. The results showed a consistent sequence, with the interlocking logs in the oldest layer and other wooden tools appearing slightly later, reinforcing the idea that the structure was built intentionally at that time.
Kalambo Falls would have been an attractive location for early communities. The area offered fresh water, fish, forest resources, and a stable environment suitable for repeated visits. A raised wooden platform would have kept people above wet ground and insects, suggesting that this was not a brief stop but a place people returned to and invested effort in.
The discovery challenges the traditional idea of a purely “Stone Age” world. It shows that early humans and their relatives were capable of planning, cooperation, and large-scale woodworking far earlier than previously believed. As lead researcher Larry Barham put it, these people were not just using tools, they were reshaping their environment in meaningful ways. The study is published in Nature.
