Did early humans collect keepsakes 500,000 years ago?
Researchers from Tel Aviv University suggest that early humans collected non-utilitarian objects like colorful pebbles as keepsakes 500,000 years ago. This behavior indicates an early development of memory and symbolic thought in human evolution.
Why it matters
Understanding the origins of human behavior and cognitive evolution provides insight into the development of modern human psychology.
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources Paleolithic flint tools, including a handaxe featuring an unusual geological pattern and a tool with an embedded fossil. Credit: Tel-Aviv University Most of us are familiar with the urge to pick up a seashell from the beach or keep a stone from a hiking trip. The object itself may be ordinary, but to the person who keeps it, it serves as a reminder of a particular moment, place or person. Where did this behavior come from? Did early humans do the same? A new study by Tel Aviv University researchers suggests that this practice stretches back approximately half a million years, with important consequences for the evolution of memory.
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