Ancient bone tools shed new light on human evolution in Tanzania

According to a recent article, Live Science describes that in a discovery that reshapes people's understanding of early human intelligence, researchers have uncovered the oldest known human-made bone tools, dating back a staggering 1.5 million years. 

Discovered at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, these tools, crafted from elephant and hippo leg bones, are a million years older than any previously known shaped bone tools.

The study, led by Ignacio de la Torre, a Paleolithic archaeologist at the Spanish National Research Council, shows that early hominins used "knapping," a technique typically associated with stone tool production. This method involves using one stone to strike another, producing sharp edges. Researchers suggest that this discovery highlights the cognitive leap made by early humans in adapting their stone-working skills to bone, indicating significant advances in mental development.

“The hominins who made these tools knew how to incorporate technical innovations by adapting their stone-working knowledge to bone,” said de la Torre. “This finding reflects advances in their cognitive abilities and mental structures.”

The team analyzed 27 bone fragments, confirming they were deliberately shaped by hominins, not by natural causes or scavengers. The tools were made from elephant, hippo, and a cow-like species' bones, selected for their size and durability. Elephant bone tools ranged from 8.6 to 15 inches in length, while hippo bone tools measured between 7 and 11.8 inches. These tools likely served heavy-duty functions, such as processing animal carcasses.

Although it remains unclear which hominin species created the tools, both Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei lived in the region 1.5 million years ago. This discovery reshapes our understanding of human evolution, showing that early hominins were experimenting with bone tools long before larger stone implements like hand axes were developed.

“We were excited to find these bone tools from such an early timeframe,” said study co-author Renata Peters, an archaeologist at University College London. “It shows that human ancestors were capable of transferring skills from stone to bone, a level of complex cognition that we haven't seen elsewhere for another million years.”

By Naila Huseynova