Stone tool facts for kids
Stone tools are tools made from stone. They are super important because they gave the Stone Age its name! These were the very first tools ever used by humans and our early relatives. Different kinds of early humans, like Homo habilis and Homo erectus, all used stone tools.
Scientists recently found out that stone tools were used even before the group of humans called Homo first appeared. The oldest stone tools ever found are from the shores of Lake Turkana in Kenya. They are an amazing 3.3 million years old! That makes them 700,000 years older than any other tools found before.
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How We Date Old Stone Tools
Scientists can figure out how old these tools are by looking at the volcanic ash and minerals found around them. It's like a natural clock!
Who Made the First Tools?
The oldest tools look a lot like those from a time called the Oldowan period. We don't know for sure who made them. It might have been early human relatives like Australopithecus afarensis or Kenyanthropus platyops. The team of scientists who found these tools suggested calling them "Lomekwian" tools. They believe these tools mark the very beginning of archaeology, which is the study of human history through digging up old things. Back then, the area where these tools were found was a woodland with lots of trees.
Why Stone Tools Were Important
Stone tools were a huge step for early humans. They helped them do many things to survive and thrive.
Hunting and Gathering Food
Early humans used stone tools to get food.
- Cutting meat: Sharp stone flakes could cut meat from animals they hunted or found. This made it easier to eat and digest.
- Breaking bones: Heavier stones could break open animal bones to get to the yummy marrow inside.
- Processing plants: Tools helped them dig up roots, chop down plants, and prepare fruits and vegetables.
Making Other Tools
Stone tools weren't just for food! They were also used to make other tools. For example, a sharp stone could be used to sharpen a wooden spear or scrape animal hides to make clothing or shelters.
Protection and Defense
Having a sturdy stone tool could also help early humans protect themselves from dangerous animals. It was a simple but effective weapon.
Different Kinds of Stone Tools
Over millions of years, stone tools became more advanced. Early tools were often simple, like a rock with a sharp edge. Later, people learned to make more complex tools.
Oldowan Tools
These are some of the earliest tools, like the ones found in Kenya. They are often simple "choppers" made by hitting one stone with another to create a sharp edge. They were used for chopping, cutting, and scraping.
Acheulean Handaxes
Later, early humans like Homo erectus started making more refined tools called handaxes. These were shaped on both sides to create a pointed or rounded end and sharp edges all around. They were like multi-purpose tools, good for many tasks.
Levallois Technique
Even later, people developed clever ways to make tools, like the Levallois technique. This method allowed them to create very specific, sharp flakes from a stone core. It showed a lot of planning and skill!
Neolithic Polished Tools
During the Neolithic period (the New Stone Age), people started to polish their stone tools, especially axes. Polishing made the tools stronger, smoother, and sharper. These polished axes were great for cutting down trees to clear land for farming.
Images for kids
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A selection of prehistoric stone tools.
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A typical Oldowan simple chopping-tool from the Duero Valley, Valladolid.
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A tool made by the Levallois technique from La Parrilla (Valladolid, Spain).
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Polished Neolithic jadeitite axe from the Museum of Toulouse.
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Axe heads found at a 2700 BC Neolithic manufacture site in Switzerland, arranged in different stages of production.
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A typical Acheulean handaxe from the Douro valley, Zamora, Spain.
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An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools.
