1.5-Million-Year-Old Bone Tools Rewrite Early Human History

New findings from Tanzania reveal systematic bone tool production by early hominins, a million years earlier than previously thought.

Archaeologists discovered 27 bone tools in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, dating back 1.5 million years, making them the oldest known systematically produced bone tools.
The tools, crafted from elephant and hippopotamus limb bones, were shaped using techniques similar to stone knapping, indicating advanced cognitive skills and technological adaptability.
This discovery pushes back the timeline for bone tool production by over a million years and suggests early hominins expanded their technological repertoire beyond stone tools.
The tools were likely used for butchery and processing animal carcasses, with evidence suggesting deliberate material selection and transportation of some bones to the site.
The findings challenge long-held assumptions about early human innovation and may prompt reevaluation of bone artifacts previously overlooked in other archaeological collections.