Ancient Moroccans Used Olive Pits as Fuel 100,000 Years Ago, Study Reveals

The study, published in the scientific journal Nature Plants, was carried out in Innsbruck (Austria) and Toulouse (France), on samples of charred charcoal recovered in 2009 and 2010 in Moroccan caves in El Mnasra and El Harhoura, the University of Innsbruck said in a statement on Thursday.

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The researchers found in these caves, discovered in 1956 and 1977, several objects, most of which are wild olives. Their analysis has shown that 100,000 years ago, humans first consumed these olives before using their pits as fuel, after cracking and drying them, explains Laurent Marquer, coordinator of the study and researcher at the University of Innsbruck.