Dhaba stone tools

The recent unearthing of ancient tools from Dhaba in North India suggest that early humans in India might have survived the Toba super-volcanic eruption.

• Where is Dhaba located?

Dhaba, from where the stone tools were uncovered, is in Madhya Pradesh. It is located in the Middle Son River Valley. The stone tools are from around 80,000 years ago. The significance of the find is that the technology used by these early humans finds continuation in the stone tools of later humans’ tools also.

• What is Toba super-volcanic eruption?

Toba is an ancient super-volcano that erupted to such an extent that it plunged the earth into a volcanic winter (because of the ash ejected). The super-volcanic eruption occurred around 75,000 years ago in Indonesia and resulted in the creation of the present day Lake Toba.

• What is the Toba Catastrophe Theory?

The Toba Catastrophic Theory linked the effect of the Toba eruption with the occurrence of a genetic bottleneck among early humans. This is because the volcanic eruption is said to have wiped out most of the people except a few thousand survivors. The Dhaba find suggests that early humans in India might have survived the event.