Discover the World’s Oldest Bone Tools: 1.5 Million-Year-Old Artifacts Made by Our Ancestors in Tanzania

Researchers have uncovered bone tools that date back around 1.5 million years, much older than any previously found shaped bone tools. This discovery, made in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, suggests that our ancestors had greater intelligence than we once believed.

The tools were crafted from bones of elephants and hippos. The study indicates that the hominins who made them were skilled at adapting their knowledge of stone tool-making to work with bone, showing advanced cognitive abilities.

Scientists analyzed 27 bone fragments made using a technique called knapping. This technique traditionally involves striking a larger stone against a smaller one to create sharp edges. Although we have evidence of stone knapping dating back over 3 million years, bone tools are rarely preserved due to decay. The condition of these bones may have been preserved because they were quickly buried.

By examining these fragments, the research team determined that the marks on the bones resulted from intentional shaping by hominins, not from animals. Their findings were published in the journal Nature.

The researchers identified the source of the bones: eight were from elephants, six from hippos, and two from a bovid-like species. This suggests that these bones were chosen specifically for their size and strength. The elephant bone tools ranged from about 8.6 to 15 inches long, while hippo bone tools measured 7 to 11.8 inches. They may have been used for tasks like processing animal remains.

It’s currently unclear which hominin species created these tools, as both Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei inhabited the region at that time, long before modern humans appeared.

This finding shifts our understanding of human evolution. It suggests that early hominins were experimenting with tools made of bone well before they created larger stone tools like hand axes. “Finding these tools from such an early time was exciting,” said co-author Renata Peters from University College London. “It shows that our ancestors could transfer skills from stone to bone, indicating a level of thought and planning not recognized in the past.”