Here’s a little mystery to get you thinking. How did ancient tools-no, really ancient tools, of the second most primitive type ever made,[1] get on to the Indian Ocean island of Socotra? Before you read any further go to Google Maps and check out just how far that is from any land, even tiny neighbouring islands. Then ask yourself the following questions, to which we have supplied our own conjectures, but solely as a starting point for your own thoughts:
1 Who found them, and when? Russian scientist Valery A Zhukov (illustrious name) The write up was in Russian, but that is no reason not to doubt the veracity of the reports.
2 How old are they? The Tools are of the Oldowan type,[2] traditionally made between 2.6 and 1.2 million years ago Now , we have no formal training in Paleoanthropology, but we have followed the sport for 55 years, and the pictures (best seen via our reddit link) look pretty good to us.
3 Who made them? The fashion for linking particular cultures to particular types of hominin is now mercifully past us. Two possibles are Homo habilis and Homo erectus; but don’t hold your breath.
4 Could the makers have walked there? The sea around the island is incredibly deep. It’s true the ocean levels fell at different times during the ice ages; but that was generally after the Oldowan culture, and anyway, not by the 200 or so metres necessary.
5 So-did they have boats? There is absolutely no evidence of boat building technology at that time, nor even of the cognitive skills, including languages, that might have been necessary. Anyway it raises two paradoxes. You can’t see Socotra from land, so why build a boat to get there? And if you don’t know Socotra exists, why build a boat? Or even a raft?
6 In any case, the idea that “they must have had boats or how else did they get there?” is a logical fallacy, as intelligent readers will have already noted. (post hoc, ergo propter hoc)
7 Did they have gliders? Oh, please!
8 Did they swim it? See #7 above
9 Is there anything like this anywhere else? Well, the Homo floresiensis remains on that eponymous island are associated with a strong lithic culture. And again, the channels between Flores and neighbouring islands must have remained too deep to have dried out even in the driest glacial lows. So the short answer is-yes.
So-what is the answer? We have absolutely no idea. Normally we steer clear of all that anomalous artefact stuff you find in the more outre corners of the Interweb. We spent too much of our early years believing daft stuff. But this one certainly has us puzzled, and we would love to know more.
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[2]https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/behavior/stone-tools/early-stone-age-tools
[3]https://www.bing.com/search?q=socotra&form=ANNTH1&refig=6c3d9e48de4a4e58bd0d9158b4dd1332&pc=HCTS
#socotra #tools #oldowan #homo erectus #paleolithic
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