Knowledge Tree
stone tools
Also known as: stone tool technology
Facts (33)
Sources
Nutritional Evolution – Human Origin and Evolution ebooks.inflibnet.ac.in 7 facts
accountBones of large ungulates discovered at early archaeological sites in East Africa possess cut marks inflicted by stone tools used to slice off meat, as reported by Bunn (1981) and Potts and Shipman (1981).
referenceKeeley, L. H. and Toth, N. (1981) published 'Microwear polishes on early stone tools from Koobi Fora, Kenya' in the journal Nature, volume 293, pages 464-465.
measurementHomo habilis began developing stone tools approximately 2 million years ago.
claimWhether the improvement in hominin dietary quality was achieved through the use of cooking or through advancements in stone tool technology remains a debatable issue.
claimResearchers infer the dietary patterns of ancestral human populations by examining hominid skeletal remains, specifically teeth and jaws, and archaeological sites containing animal bones and stone tools.
referencePotts, R. and Shipman, P. (1981) published 'Cutmarks made by stone tools on bones from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania' in the journal Nature, volume 291, pages 577-580.
claimHominid skeletal evidence, particularly teeth, and archaeological sites containing animal bones and stone tools provide crucial evidence regarding the dietary patterns of ancestral populations during human evolution.
To Follow the Real Early Human Diet, Eat Everything scientificamerican.com Jun 25, 2024 5 facts
claimThe earliest known hominins walked upright on two legs but spent significant time in trees and did not appear to manufacture stone tools.
claimJessica Thompson of Yale University and her colleagues argue that before hominins invented stone tools suitable for hunting large animals, they may have used simpler implements to scavenge abandoned carcasses for nutritious marrow and brains.
claimStone tools and butchered animal bones are more readily preserved in the archaeological record than fragile plant remains, which contributes to a bias in understanding early human diets.
claimThe earliest stone tools and animal bones bearing cut marks date to before two million years ago.
claimThe invention of sharp-edged stone tools allowed early humans to butcher large animals, providing a calorie-dense food source that required less processing in the gastrointestinal tract, which allowed gut tissue to shrink and provided fuel for brain expansion.
Evidence for Meat-Eating by Early Humans | Learn Science at Scitable nature.com 5 facts
measurementThe earliest well-documented evidence of persistent hominin carnivory, involving in situ excavated fossil fauna associated with large concentrations of stone tools, dates to approximately 2.0 million years ago at Kanjera, Kenya.
referenceSemaw et al. reported on 2.6-million-year-old stone tools and associated bones discovered at the OGS-6 and OGS-7 sites in Gona, Afar, Ethiopia, in a 2003 study published in the Journal of Human Evolution.
claimThe emergence of archaeologically visible accumulations of stone tools coincides with the earliest evidence of hominin meat and marrow consumption at approximately 2.6 million years ago.
referencePotts and Shipman (1981) identified cutmarks made by stone tools on bones found at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.
measurementMultiple localities at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, dating to 1.8 million years ago, show evidence of in situ butchered mammal remains ranging in size from hedgehogs to elephants, associated with large numbers of stone tools.
How do we know what they ate? - The Australian Museum australian.museum Oct 21, 2020 4 facts
claimArchaeological artifacts made from hard materials, such as stone tools and bone fish hooks, are likely to be preserved in the archaeological record.
measurementThe oldest stone tools are approximately 2.5 million years old, which makes it difficult to extrapolate information about cannibalism in hominins prior to that time.
claimThe Bodo skull, a Homo heidelbergensis specimen found in Ethiopia and dating to approximately 600,000 years ago, displays cut marks from stone tools on the eye sockets, cheekbones, forehead, and cranium, with the bone condition indicating defleshing occurred near the time of death.
claimAnalysis of Homo erectus Skull V from Zhoukoudian, China, shows marks made by stone tools near the foramen magnum, indicating that cannibalism may have occurred, despite other skull breakages at the site being attributed to hyenas.
The role of Plant Foods in the evolution and Dispersal of early Humans kernsverlag.com Jul 30, 2022 2 facts
referenceDomínguez-Rodrigo, M., Pickering, T. R., Semaw, S., and Rogers, M. J. (2005) analyzed cutmarked bones from Pliocene archaeological sites at Gona, Afar, Ethiopia, to determine the function of the world’s oldest stone tools, as published in the Journal of Human Evolution 48, 109–121.
claimModern humans at Ngalue Cave in Mozambique were grinding seeds by 105,000 years ago, as evidenced by wild grass starch grains with processing damage found on stone tools such as scrapers and core/grinding tools (Mercader 2009).
Reviewing the Prehistoric Menu | American Scientist americanscientist.org 2 facts
accountAt an archaeological site in Jordan dating to approximately 250,000 years ago, a research team led by University of Victoria archaeologist April Nowell identified blood protein residues from a single animal species on individual stone tools, indicating specific tools were used to butcher specific animals.
claimResearchers analyze ancient proteins extracted from the edges of stone tools to determine the diet of early humans.
Changes in Diet Drove Physical Evolution in Early Humans home.dartmouth.edu Jul 31, 2025 1 fact
claimAncient humans utilized stone tools to dig up tubers, bulbs, and corms, which provided a plentiful, low-risk nutrient source for expanding brains with little competition from other animals.
Unknown source 1 fact
claimEarly hominins used stone tools to facilitate a dietary shift from primarily plant-based diets to diets incorporating meat.
the evolutionary impact of dietary shifts on physical and cognitive ... pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Jul 25, 2024 1 fact
claimThe evolution of human dietary habits mirrors the evolution of humans themselves, with key developments such as stone tool technology, the shift to a meat-based diet, control of fire, advancements in cooking and fermentation techniques, and the domestication of plants and animals significantly influencing human anatomical, physiological, social, cognitive, and behavioral changes.
The Evolution of Diet - National Geographic nationalgeographic.com 1 fact
claimAmanda Henry found starch granules from plants on fossil teeth and stone tools, suggesting that humans have consumed grains and tubers for at least 100,000 years.
The Evolutionary Impact of Dietary Shifts on Physical and Cognitive ... onfoods.it 1 fact
claimKey historical developments including stone tool technology, the shift to a meat-based diet, the control of fire, advancements in cooking and fermentation techniques, and the domestication of plants and animals have significantly influenced human anatomical, physiological, social, cognitive, and behavioral changes.
The Real Paleo Diet: What Ancient Humans Really Ate - YouTube youtube.com Jan 15, 2026 1 fact
claimResearchers study prehistoric human diets using multiple lines of evidence, including early human fossils, animal fossils, plant fossils, ancient stone tools, and DNA.
Future of Food Series Part IV: The Evolution of Diet harmonyvalleyfarm.blogspot.com Sep 11, 2014 1 fact
claimAmanda Henry identified starch granules on fossil teeth and stone tools dating back 100,000 years, suggesting that humans have consumed grains and plant foods long enough to evolve the ability to tolerate them.
Prehistoric Dining: The Real Paleo Diet | National Geographic nationalgeographic.com Apr 22, 2014 1 fact
claimThe Stone Age began approximately 2.5 million years ago, marked by the emergence of proto-humans who began to create stone tools.