I Think They Misuse "Civilization" in the Headlin

[Minimalist]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage ... +in+Orissa

Cultural remains of 70,000-year-old civilisation found in Orissa

Will also be interesting to see if the dating holds up.

[Cognito]

Behera and Sinha are of the opinion that the site was inhabited by the Palaeolithic band for food processing purposes.

A paleolithic band does not make a civilisation. Good point.

[Beagle]

Nice article. Seems people were nearly everywhere ca. 70kbp.

The team, including history students of the university, found stone tools like axes, cleavers and scrapers at the site. The stone tools, used for food processing -- cutting, chopping and scraping -- were manufactured on par with European and African models.

The tools were as effective as anyone else, and they inhabited this site for an extensive period of time.

I wonder if the Toba ash layer was used to help date the site.

[Minimalist]

Seems people were nearly everywhere ca. 70kbp.

Yes but what kind of people?

[Beagle]

That opens a bag of worms. I don't think the old labels work anymore, but I would like to see what label they would put on people in India from that time. He wouldn't be a classical H. Erectus. That's what they've been calling everyone who wasn't in Europe or Africa.

I imagine that Neanderthal could be dressed up in a suit, and could walk around New York without drawing much attention, this guy could probably walk around modern day India.

I hope they give us more info on Orissa soon.

http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/orissa/ ... cation.htm

[Cognito]

I imagine that Neanderthal could be dressed up in a suit, and could walk around New York without drawing much attention, this guy could probably walk around modern day India.

Nah, you could meet a Neanderthal in a backyard barbecue wearing a t-shirt and jeans - that would be my neighbor.

What is being found in India just doesn't fit the OOA / Toba bottleneck at all. Damn Indians causing trouble again! If Mt. Toba blew its top circa 70kya and this site is from the same timeframe, where did these dudes come from? Weren't they aware that they shouldn't be there? How rude!

[Beagle]

India is very busy doing the archaeology of their subcontinent. So they are adding some pieces to the puzzle.

It will be nice when the far eastern countries get busy. The picture is pretty barren, although we know that people were there nearly a million yrs. ago.

And Indonesia should be pretty rich also.

[Minimalist]

Damn Indians causing trouble again!

Good for them! Toba has a lot of holes in it.

[Cognito]

India is very busy doing the archaeology of their subcontinent. So they are adding some pieces to the puzzle.

The Indians are actually in the process of destroying the Toba bottleneck hypothesis. Ha, ha.

It will be nice when the far eastern countries get busy. The picture is pretty barren, although we know that people were there nearly a million yrs. ago.

Hominids were in China 2 million years ago at least, maybe longer. The Chinese believe H erectus evolved there - not Africa. http://www.archaeology.org/0001/newsbriefs/china.html

And Indonesia should be pretty rich also.

And hominids were in Indonesia 1.6 million years plus. Scientist would shit a brick if H erectus remains ever showed up in Australia. Personally, I would love to see that (the fecal expulsion of brick matter, that is).