Lomekwi facts for kids
Lomekwi is near the west bank of Lake Turkana, which is pictured in green on this satellite image.
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 Approximate location of dig site
Location in Kenya
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| Alternative name | LOM3 |
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| Location | Turkana County, Kenya |
| Region | Rift Valley Province |
| Coordinates | 3°54′39″N 35°51′1″E / 3.91083°N 35.85028°E |
| Type | Ancient campsite |
| History | |
| Periods | 3.3 million years ago |
| Cultures | Australopithecus or Kenyanthropus |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 2011-present |
| Archaeologists | Sonia Harmand Stony Brook University, US. |
| Public access | Limited |
Lomekwi 3 is an amazing archaeological site in Kenya. It's where the oldest stone tools ever found were discovered. These tools are incredibly old, dating back 3.3 million years! This discovery helps us understand how early humans and their relatives lived.
Contents
Finding the Oldest Tools
An Accidental Discovery
In July 2011, a team of archaeologists was exploring near Lake Turkana in Kenya. The team was led by Sonia Harmand and Jason Lewis. They were from Stony Brook University in the United States.
They were looking for fossils of an early human relative called Kenyanthropus platyops. On their way, they took a wrong turn. This led them to a new, unexplored area.
Naming the Site
The team decided to look around this new spot. Soon, they found some ancient stone objects. They named this exciting new place Lomekwi 3.
A year later, the team returned for a full dig. They wanted to find more tools and learn about them. Harmand shared her findings in April 2015. The full results were published in the science magazine Nature in May 2015.
Ancient Stone Tools
What Was Found?
At Lomekwi 3, about 20 well-preserved stone tools were dug up. These included anvils, cores, and flakes. Anvils are like heavy bases. Cores are the main stones from which pieces are chipped off. Flakes are the pieces chipped off.
Another 130 tools were found just lying on the surface. In one case, the team even found a flake that fit perfectly back onto its core. This shows that an early human relative, called a hominin, made and used the tool right there.
How Old Are They?
These tools are much older than any other stone tools found before. The previous oldest tools were found in Ethiopia in 1992. The Lomekwi tools are 700,000 years older!
Scientists figured out the age of the tools by looking at the layers of earth they were in. They also used volcanic ash layers and changes in Earth's magnetic field. This showed the tools are 3.3 million years old.
What Were They Used For?
The tools found at Lomekwi 3 are quite large. The biggest one weighs about 15 kilograms (33 pounds). It might have been used as an anvil.
Sonia Harmand noticed that the tool makers chose large, strong stones. They ignored smaller stones nearby. This shows they knew what kind of stone was best.
Harmand also confirmed that these were definitely tools made by living beings. They were not just naturally broken rocks. She said the tools were "clearly knapped". This means they were shaped by hitting them with other stones.
It's not clear exactly what these tools were used for. Animal bones were found at the site, but they don't show any cut marks. This means the tools might not have been used for cutting meat.
Early Tool Makers
Who Made the Tools?
The Lomekwi tools are 3.3 million years old. This is 500,000 years before the first Homo species appeared. Homo is the group that includes modern humans.
This means the tools were likely made by an earlier type of hominin. It could have been Australopithecus or Kenyanthropus. Fossils of Kenyanthropus were found close to Lomekwi 3.
Before this discovery, some scientists thought Australopithecus might have used tools. This idea came from marks on animal bones. But there wasn't strong proof. The Lomekwi discovery gives us much clearer evidence.
A New Tool-Making Style
Sonia Harmand believes the Lomekwi 3 tools are different from later tool-making styles. The most famous early style is called Oldowan. Harmand named this new, older style "Lomekwian."
Making tools might have helped early hominins evolve. It could have led to the development of the Homo genus. However, it's not clear if the Lomekwian tools are directly linked to the tools made by Homo species. It's possible this early tool-making knowledge was lost and then rediscovered later.
What Other Scientists Think
Other researchers who have seen the Lomekwi tools agree with Harmand's findings. Alison Brooks, an anthropologist, said the tools "could not have been created by natural forces." She also said the dating evidence is "fairly solid."
Rick Potts from the Smithsonian Institution said the tools look more basic than tools made by humans. But they are more advanced than what modern chimpanzees can do. He said, "There's no doubt it's purposeful" toolmaking.
Zeresenay Alemseged, another paleoanthropologist, also supported Harmand's conclusions. He had done earlier research suggesting Australopithecus made tools.
See also
In Spanish: Lomekwi para niños
