Unearthed in
Sibudu Cave, in KwaZulu-Natal, the ancient bed was made of bundles of sedge and
wild quince leaves.
From Digital Journal
Posted Dec 9, 2011
by Leigh
Goessl
Researchers have
uncovered 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 been
used as beds in prehistoric time. Excavation efforts found at least 15 layers of sediment, which included plant bedding dated between 77,000 and
38,000 years ago.
According to Live Science, researchers said
the find revealed how creative early man was.
Researchers believe
this 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 of
bedding suggests that the early inhabitants of Sibudu had an intimate knowledge
of the plants surrounding the shelter, and were aware of their medicinal uses," Wadley said. "Herbal medicines would have provided
advantages 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 been
working at this site since 1998.
Evidence suggests early man periodically
burned the leaves, possibly as a way to ward off pests, or to simply get rid of debris. Wadley said she expects
to learn ancient man used these leaves for medicinal purposes as well. Many of
the properties of the unearthed samples are composed of Cryptocarya woodii, a river wild-quince which, Wadley said, in modern day is used in traditional pain
killers and other medicines.
The Associated Press (via Washington Post) reported Marlize Lombard, an anthropologist from the
University of Johannesburg, has researched indications that ancient Sibudu
people used intricate creations such as bows and arrows, which were
complex technology for that time. Lombard said Wadley's find is also complex.
The weapons and the bedding “show that people then already
had very advanced
ways of thinking about things,
doing things,” Lombard said. Like people today, she said, they “did not always choose
the simplest solutions.”
Modern discoveries of ancient worlds are illuminating ways
early man was inventive and resourceful. Recently Digital Journal reported an ancient fish hook was found in southeast Asia, which suggests man was
deep-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 complete
findings of this remarkable discovery are shared in the Dec. 9 issue of the
journal Science.
'The early inhabitants of Sibudu had an intimate knowledge of
the plants surrounding the shelter, and were aware of their medicinal uses,'
says Professor Wadley.
