A prehistoric stone ax was found in Malaysia, the age of which is estimated by Japanese geochronologists at 1.83 million years. Historians from the USM University of Science dug up the Bukit-Bunukh site in the town of Lengong and discovered a quartzite ax in the Paleolithic layer
The ax was sent for analysis to the geochronological laboratory in Tokyo, where Japanese experts established the exact age of the tool - 1.83 million years. The head of the excavation, Mokhtar Saydin, said that the laboratory assistants tracked the time of the ax's manufacture, dating the last chips on the quartzite.
The discovery of such an ancient ax in Asia disproves the “exodus from Africa” theory.
The tool, along with the rest of the processed stones, was found in the rocks formed by the fall of the meteorite.
“The artifacts found in the mountain masses testify to the existence of the most ancient bipedal people in this region. This find could change world history,”says Saydin.
The hypothesis of African human descent was put forward by Kenyan archaeologist Louis Leakey and his wife Mary in the 1960s. It is based on finds from Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania and the Koobi Fora site in Ethiopia.
Leakey discovered the oldest bones and primitive stones there. The anthropologist argued that the ancestors of man appeared precisely on the African continent and from there spread throughout the planet.
At the time of the emergence of the “exodus from Africa” theory, there was already a hypothesis of a multi-regional human origin. Its supporters argue that homo erectus evolved into homo sapiens independently in different parts of the world.
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In addition to African, the oldest sites are registered in Java (1.2-1.7 million years ago), Georgia (1.7-1.8 million) and China (1.6-1.8 million).
Saidin recalled that the oldest African ax is only 1.6 million years old.
Historians believe that the first hominid-working stone appeared about 2.7 million years ago. However, the specific tools found date from a later period. It is believed that the first stone to use was the Australopithecus, a group of fossilized great apes.
The scientist put forward his version of the appearance of hominids in Asia. The historian believes that the first people appeared on the Malacca Peninsula (West Malaysia), and from there they moved to Java, known for its later Pithecanthropus bones. Saydin believes that the hominids decided to migrate, as they fled from the destruction caused by the fall of the meteorite.
Together with colleagues, he hopes to unearth human bones and teeth in Bukit Buny.
Research in Bukit Bunakh has been underway since August 2000. The area of the object exceeds 4 sq. km.