Stone tools
This page delivers no verdict; it presents claims and evidence with their sources. No theory in science is absolute. Method
For everyone
Knapping stone into cutting tools is the oldest technology attributed to the human lineage. How old the earliest known examples are, and who made them, is still debated.
For specialists
The Lomekwi 3 (Kenya) finds are placed at about 3.3 million years ago on the basis of stratigraphic context and 40Ar/39Ar-dated tuffs, and are called the "Lomekwian" industry. Oldowan tools, previously considered the oldest, date to about 2.6–2.5 million years at Gona (Ethiopia). The debate centres on whether the Lomekwi finds were in situ and on their relation to the dated layer. Whether marks on 3.39-million-year-old bones at Dikika are butchery marks or trampling damage is also disputed.
Views on dating
No single date is given because the date is not documented with certainty; the views of different sources are listed.
| Archaeology (Lomekwi 3, Kenya) | About 3.3 million years ago[1] |
|---|---|
| Archaeology (Gona, Ethiopia; Oldowan) | About 2.6–2.5 million years ago[2] |
Claims
Evidence
Supporting
149 stone artefacts were recovered at Lomekwi 3, some embedded in the dated tuff layer.[1]
Marks resembling cut and percussion marks were found on 3.39-million-year-old animal bones at Dikika (Ethiopia).[3]
Challenging
It was argued that some Lomekwi artefacts were surface finds and that their association with the dated layer was insufficiently shown; more evidence was requested.[5]
It was argued that the Dikika marks can be confused with damage from trampling and sediment abrasion.[4]
Connections
Sources
- Article (2015). 3.3-million-year-old stone tools from Lomekwi 3, West Turkana, Kenya. Nature 521, 310–315DOI 10.1038/nature14464archive
- Article (1997). 2.5-million-year-old stone tools from Gona, Ethiopia. Nature 385, 333–336DOI 10.1038/385333a0archive
- Article (2010). Evidence for stone-tool-assisted consumption of animal tissues before 3.39 million years ago at Dikika, Ethiopia. Nature 466, 857–860DOI 10.1038/nature09248archive
- Article (2010). Configurational approach to identifying the earliest hominin butchers. PNAS 107, 20929–20934DOI 10.1073/pnas.1013711107archive
- Article (2016). 3.3-million-year-old stone tools and butchery traces? More evidence needed. PaleoAnthropology 2016, 46–53paleoanthropology.orgarchive
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Cite this page
Athena contributors. (2026). Stone tools. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/tas-aletler/
@misc{athena_tas_aletler,
title = {Stone tools},
author = {{Athena contributors}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/tas-aletler/}},
note = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}Added: September 27, 2026 · Last changed: September 27, 2026 · Page history