Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Transvaginal Mesh Insertion in the Ovine Model
Published on: July 27, 2017
2.5-million-year-old stone tools from Gona, Ethiopia
1Department of Anthropology, Douglass Campus, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA. semaw@eden.rutgers.edu
Abstract:
The Oldowan Stone tool industry was named for 1.8-million-year-old (Myr) artefacts found near the bottom of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Subsequent archaeological research in the Omo (Ethiopia) and Turkana (Kenya) also yielded stone tools dated to 2.3 Myr. Palaeoanthropological investigations in the Hadar region of the Awash Valley of Ethiopia, revealed Oldowan assemblages in the adjacent Gona River drainage. We conducted field work in the Gona study area of Ethiopia between 1992 and 1994 which resulted in additional archaeological discoveries as well as radioisotopic age control and a magnetic polarity stratigraphy of the Gona sequence. These occurrences are now securely dated between 2.6-2.5 Myr. The stone tools are thus the oldest known artefacts from anywhere in the world. The artefacts show surprisingly sophisticated control of stone fracture mechanics, equivalent to much younger Oldowan assemblages of Early Pleistocene age. This indicates an unexpectedly long period of technological stasis in the Oldowan.
Related Concept Videos
The Fossil Record
Types of Building Stone
Igneous rocks are formed from the solidification of magma or lava. An example is granite, known for its durability and resistance to weathering, making it ideal for parts of...
Quarrying of Stone
One common method involves using a diamond belt saw to cut large blocks from the quarry face. These blocks can be about 50 feet long and 12 feet high. After the initial vertical cut, drilling is performed at the base of the block.
Stone Masonry

