Africans discovered dinosaur fossils long before the term 'palaeontology' existed
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Thursday, January 4, 2024
Over the next two centuries dinosaur palaeontology would be dominated by numerous British natural scientists.
Key Points:
- Over the next two centuries dinosaur palaeontology would be dominated by numerous British natural scientists.
- We present evidence that the first dinosaur bone may have been discovered in Africa as early as 500 years before Plot’s.
- Peering through the published and unpublished archaeological, historical and palaeontological literature, we discovered that there has been interest in fossils in Africa for as long as there have been people on the continent.
- More often than not, the first dinosaur fossils supposedly discovered by scientists were actually brought to their attention by local guides.
Bolahla rock shelter in Lesotho
- One of the highlights of our paper is the archaeological site of Bolahla, a Later Stone Age rock shelter in Lesotho.
- This part of Lesotho is particularly well known for delivering the species Massospondylus carinatus, a 4 to 6 metre, long-necked and small-headed dinosaur.
- In 1990, archaeologists working at Bolahla discovered that a finger bone of Massospondylus, a fossil phalanx, had been transported to the cave.
- Given the current knowledge, it could have been at any time of occupation of the shelter from the 12th to 18th centuries.
Early knowledge of extinct creatures
- In Algeria, for example, people referred to some dinosaur footprints as belonging to the legendary “Roc bird”.
- In North America, cave paintings depicting dinosaur footprints were painted by the Anasazi people between AD 1000 and 1200.
Claiming credit
- For instance, unlike the people in Europe, the Americas and Asia, indigenous African palaeontologists seem to have seldom used fossils for traditional medicine.
- Read more:
Rock stars: how a group of scientists in South Africa rescued a rare 500kg chunk of human historyBy exploring indigenous palaeontology in Africa, our team is putting together pieces of a forgotten past that gives credit back to local communities.
Julien Benoit receives funding from the DSI-NRF African Origins Platform program and GENUS (DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences) Cameron Penn-Clarke receives funding from GENUS (DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences). Charles Helm does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.