"... early humans displayed key elements of modern behavior as far back as 165,000 years."

[L. Coyote]

Cave-dwelling ancestors dined on shellfish
Africa findings show modern behavior
John Noble Wilford, New York Times - Oct 18, 2007
http://www.archaeologynews.org/story.asp?ID=242111&Title=Cave-dwelling%20ancestors%20dined%20on%20shellfish


Almost from the start, it seems, humans headed for the shore to get away from the cares at home. But this was no holiday for them. More than likely, it was a matter of survival at a perilous time of climate change throughout Africa 164,000 years ago.

By then, Homo sapiens had developed a taste for shellfish, out of necessity and much earlier than previously thought, while adapting to life in caves on the craggy coast of southern Africa, scientists report in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.

Exploring a cave in a steep cliff overlooking the ocean, an international team of scientists found deposits of shellfish remains, hearths, small stone blades and fragments of hematite, some of which had been ground apparently for use as the coloring agent red ochre that sometimes had symbolic meaning.

"The shellfish," the researchers concluded, "may have been crucial to the survival of these early humans ..........