What was childhood like in the Stone Age ? Well , despite whatThe Flintstonesmight have tell you , there were very few toys , and a lot more hippo butchering .
Using a bunch of footprint found in the muddy valleys of East Africa , archaeologists are discover out how our ancient ancestors spent their childhoods some 700,000 years ago . The newfangled study can be find in the journalScientific Reports .
The step mostly likely belonged toHomo heidelbergensis , an extinct species of big - brain hominin that divvy up legion similarity with bothHomo erectusandHomo sapiens(aka human being ) . Judging by the form and sizing of one of the footprints , it ’s believed that itbelonged to a nestling no older than 12 months .
Along with the numerous hominin prints , there ’s a Brobdingnagian variety and number of animal prints . The rails were lead in the silty shores of a former watering hole where large mammals and birds once get together near Melka Kunture in the Upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia . With short doubtfulness , the hominins were here to hunt , not just to enjoy the wildlife .
Most remarkably of all , they also discovered footprints lead to the corpse of a butcher hippopotamus carcass and evidence of stone prick being used . Their psychoanalysis of these discoveries indicates that they were all create within the same narrow-minded time frame , almost sure during the same season .
The proximity of young children and butchering suggest that hominin youngster were allowed to tag along to the sites of hunting , perhaps even learning how to hunt . After all , this could have been how the children brushed up on the much - needed skill of instrument - making , search , and butchering .
“ They clear were not left at home with a sitter when the parents were hunting . In the rough savannah plains of the East African Rift Valley , it was natural to bring your children to such daily tasks , perhaps so they could detect and learn , ” subject field authors Matthew Robert Bennett and Sally Christine Reynolds wrote in an article forthe Conversation .
“ So , if we picture the shot at Melka Kunture , the children follow the slaughterhouse were credibly allowed to treat rock tools and practice their accomplishment on cast away piece of carcass while stay out of the elbow room of the fully - occupied grownup . ”
