Scientists learned about the use of bone tools by humans as early as 1.5 million years ago

Scientists have discovered 27 tools made from animal bones made by ancient people about 1.5 million years ago, which means that people began using such objects 1 million years earlier than previously thought. The results of the archaeological study were published on March 5 in the British scientific journal Nature.

The samples were found in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. These are pointed tools, 16 of them are made from the bones of elephants, hippos, and horn-horned animals. The remaining 11 instruments could not be identified by species. All the objects are very well preserved, and scientists were able to make sure that the blunt and thick ends of the bones were broken off with a stone, and not exposed to natural influences.

Elephant bone implements are 22-38 cm long and 8-15 cm wide. The tools made from hippopotamus bones are smaller — 18-30 cm long and 6-8 cm wide.

The significance of this discovery encourages scientists to reconsider the emergence and evolution of technologies for processing bone tools by representatives of early human species.

Ignacio de la Torre, one of the authors of the study, a scientist from the Supreme Council for Scientific Research of Spain, said href="https://apnews.com/article/early-humans-bone-tools-tanzania-olduvai-gorge-aac84e0b46e0ad6537d5bdcd48088574"> The Associated Press (AP) reports that these implements are hand axes that were not attached to the handle, and were most likely used for butchering carcasses. animals. The researcher noted that people then most likely did not hunt elephants and hippos, but extracted bones from the corpses of animals that had died or been killed by predators.

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