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HOW WERE THE STONE TOOLS MADE?

Older hammering or 'percussive' stone tools have been found in Kenya that date to 3.3 million years ago.

But the new tools are the oldest artifacts so far ascribed to the 'Oldowan' technology - typified by what are known as 'choppers.'

They are stone cores with flakes removed from part of the surface - creating a sharpened edge that was used for cutting and scraping.

They were originally named after finds from Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania and are distinct from tools made by chimpanzees, monkeys or earlier human ancestors.

The major differences appear to be the ability for our ancestors to systematically chip off smaller sharp-edged tools from larger nodules of stone.

They became more accurate and skilled at striking the edge of stones to make tools. The BD 1 artifacts captures this shift.

It appears that this shift in tool making occurred around the same time that our ancestor's teeth began to change. This can be seen in the earliest Homo jaw bone.

As our ancestors began to process food with stone tools before eating it we start to see a reduction in the size of their teeth.

 

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