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Systematic bone tool production at 1.5 million years ago.

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Early hominins in East Africa innovated bone tool production 1.5 million years ago, predating previous estimates by over a million years. This discovery reveals sophisticated osseous technology in the pre-Middle Stone Age, challenging existing views on early hominin toolkits.

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Area of Science:

  • Paleoanthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Primate Evolution

Background:

  • Stone tool technology predates the genus Homo, with origins potentially tracing back to early primates.
  • Osseous (bone) technologies are typically associated with later hominins from around 2 million years ago (Ma).
  • The earliest systematic bone tool production was previously confined to European Acheulean sites (400-250 thousand years ago).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To document and analyze a novel assemblage of bone tools from Olduvai Gorge.
  • To investigate the technological capabilities of early hominins in East Africa regarding bone tool manufacture.
  • To reassess the understanding of early Homo toolkits and cultural innovations.

Main Methods:

  • Excavation of a single stratigraphic horizon at Olduvai Gorge.
  • Analysis of large mammal limb bone fragments (hippopotamus, elephant) shaped by knapping.
  • Technological and morphological standardization assessment of the bone artefacts.

Main Results:

  • Discovery of a significant assemblage of knapped bone tools dated to 1.5 Ma.
  • Identification of various tools, including massive elongated implements, fashioned from large mammal bones.
  • Evidence of a transfer and adaptation of stone knapping skills to bone by East African hominins.

Conclusions:

  • Early Acheulean hominins at Olduvai Gorge developed standardized bone tools, demonstrating an original cultural innovation.
  • This finding pushes back the timeline for systematic osseous technology production by over 1 million years.
  • The sophisticated bone tool production challenges previous assumptions about early hominin technological repertoires.