Kyle Erickson Professor Teri Potter ANTH 1020-002 08-03-2013

Stone Age Tools

When describing what makes humans unique from the rest of the animal kingdom, our knowledge and use of tools is often cited as a primary factor. However, the use of tools is not a distinctly human trait. In fact, other members of the primate order began utilizing tools millions of years before mankind first walked the Earth. The oldest known tools appeared over 2.6 million years ago. (Plummer 118). These tools were first developed in Africa during the early Pliocene Era. Known as Oldowan tools, they were very simple stone hammers and cutting blades. These simple tools were used by ancient human ancestors to process various types of food, such as plants, seeds, nuts, and scavenged meat. (Plummer 118) Oldowan tools can be hard to discern from a normal rock by an untrained eye, as the rock is only slightly altered when made into a tool. (Plummer 129-130) The tools did not appear to hold a great amount of value to the primitive people who used them, as they were often discarded near where they were originally created. (Plummer 131) This means that the tools were not valued enough to be brought along when a migration occurred. The use of these simple stone tools spans over one million years until the next major technological advancement takes place. About 1.7 million years ago, ancient hominids began making more complex tools by flaking off pieces of larger stones. (Wilford) The added complexity required

much more skill and attention during the creation of the tool. Bi-faced hand-axes and cutting blades were now a regular part of the prehistoric toolkit. These new tools were much more specialized than their Oldowan precursors and are known as Acheulean tools. (Wilford) These tools were more often re-used and thus valued by their creators than the Oldowan type tools. (Goren-Inbar, Sharon 278) It would take another 1.6 million years for the next major technological advancement to take place. Members of the group Homo began crafting sharp points to affix to spears, stone awls, and scrapers. Many of these tool required much more complex manufacturing techniques. This advanced technique is known as the Levallois technique. The tools crafted using this technique are known as Mousterian tools. (Eren, Lycett) Marking the end of the Paleolithic, early people started using other types of raw materials besides stone to craft their tools. Bone, ivory, and antlers were used to make a variety of new tools. Early man was now using harpoons, light spears, hooks, and sewing needles regularly. This new age, known as the Neolithic, also saw the introduction of spear-throwing implements known as atl-atls. These spearthrowers show a clear understanding of the concepts of torque and leverage by ancient people. (McClellan 9) The use and development of these tools had a major impact on prehistoric cultures. (McClellan 8) From observing the burial patterns of humans and Neanderthals, it appears that the use of these tools had a deep impact on primitive culture. Individuals were often buried with the tools they would have used in life. (Early human burials varied widely but most were simple.") This could imply a

religious belief where the dead brought their important objects (including tools) with them into the afterlife. The development of more advanced tools could have had a hand in the extinction of the Neanderthals. Both Humans and Neanderthals possessed tool technology. At first, It appears that the level of the technology was fairly equal. (Parson 1) However, it didnt take long before human technology began to surpass that of the Neanderthals. (McClellan 9) It is possible that as humans and Neanderthals began to compete for resources, a sort of prehistoric arms race took place. (Parson 2) Through the development of more sophisticated and deadly weaponry, it appears that Homo sapiens won this arms race. Eventually, humans managed to kill off all of their Neanderthal competition. From that point on, human technological advancement continued at a rapid pace as separate human groups continued to compete over resources and land. Mastery of the tool has allowed the Human race to not only survive, but to shape the environment to its will. Our creativity, ingenuity, and skill at manufacturing tools have helped us to overcome all challenges. But we would likely not have this important advantage had it not been discovered and practiced millions of years ago by the ancestors of our species. All of our modern technology owes its existence to the ability of early hominids to bang a couple of rocks together and form something a bit more useful.

References: (1)Plummer, Thomas. Flaked Stones and Old Bones: Biological and Cultural Evolution at the Dawn of Technology Department of Anthropology, Queens College, CUNY, and New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, Flushing, New York 11367. YEARBOOK OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 47:118164 (2004)

(2)McClellan (2006). Science and Technology in World History: An Introduction. Baltimore, Maryland: JHU Press. ISBN 0-8018-8360-1. Page 612

(3)Parson, Ann. Neandertals Hunted as Well as Humans, Study Says National Geographic News. January 25, 2006 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/01/0125_060125_neanderthal.ht ml

(4) University of Colorado Denver. "Early human burials varied widely but most were simple." ScienceDaily, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 6 Aug. 2013

(5) Goren-Inbar, Naama. Sharon, Gonen Axe Age: Acheulian Tool-making from Quarry to Discard ISBN: 978-1-84553-138-6. Equinox Publishing Ltd. 2006

(6) Wilford, John Noble. Earliest Signs of Advanced Tools Found The New York Times. Sept.1 2011 pg. A10

(7) Eren MI, Lycett SJ (2012) Why Levallois? A Morphometric Comparison of Experimental Preferential Levallois Flakes versus Debitage Flakes PLoS ONE 7(1): e29273. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029273