WASHINGTON: Stone tools that are older than man have been found — suggesting that our ancient ancestors were already skilled toolmakers before they evolved into humans.
In a discovery which could rewrite the history books, archaeologists working in north-western Kenya found sharp cutting tools which date to 700,000 years before the first members of the genus homo emerged.
The “momentous” finding is so significant because the making of stone tools is generally thought to mark the birth of humanity as it demonstrates significant mental ability and hand co-ordination.
But the tools show that earlier hominids — our ancestors who lie between humans and apes – were already well advanced. Writing in the journal Nature, the researchers said the tools represented “a new beginning to the known archaeological record.”
The team from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Rutgers University in America, found 149 stone artefacts tied to toolmaking, including stone cores, flakes, rocks used for hammering and anvils to strike on.
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