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Optically Stimulated Luminescence

All articles tagged with #optically stimulated luminescence

archaeology2 years ago•4 min saved

Neanderthals' 75000-year-old intentional engravings found in cave

Researchers have confirmed that the finger-flutings on the walls of La Roche-Cotard cave in France are the oldest known Neanderthal cave decorations in France, estimated to be about 75,000 years old. The engravings make La Roche-Cotard the oldest decorated site in France and possibly Europe. The team used optically stimulated luminescence to date the cave and found that it was sealed about 57,000 years ago, but the markings could be as old as 75,000 years. The fact that the cave had been sealed until 1846 means that these are unequivocally Neanderthal marks.

via Inverse|

#archaeology #cave-art #france

science2 years ago•5 min saved

South African Discovery: World's Oldest Human Footprint Rewrites History.

Researchers have identified the oldest known human footprint in South Africa, dating back 153,000 years. The footprint was found in the Garden Route National Park on the Cape south coast, and is one of nine sites in the "South African cluster" of hominin ichnosites. The sites range in age from 153,000 to 71,000 years, and complement the relatively few skeletal hominin remains found in the area. The Cape south coast was an area in which early anatomically modern humans survived, evolved and thrived, before spreading out of Africa to other continents.

via ScienceAlert|

#archaeology #footprints #human-evolution