Why Did Early Humans Begin Using Stone Tools Around 2.6 Million Years Ago? — Here’s What Researchers Discovered

Humans are not the only species that utilizes tools. Animals like chimpanzees use sticks to fish for termites in the wild and crack nuts using stones, and this is just one example out of many others. But there’s no other species that comes close to how distinguished and complex human tools are.

It is because, unlike other animals, which just use typical objects found readily available in nature, with little to no modifications, humans manufacture and refine their tools over time. We also learned how to pass this knowledge on to the next generations, and they improve upon it, until it becomes as complex and intertwined with human evolution.

However, we did not always know how to make and use different kinds of tools for various purposes. Scientists estimate that the use of stones as a tool began around 2.6 million years ago, but what exactly pushed early humans to make and use them? Let’s explore this idea and question about how tools began, who made them, and why they matter so much to who we are today.

What Are These Early Stone Tools and Where Were They Found?

Archaeologists found stone tools in places like Gona in Ethiopia that are estimated to be about 2.6 million years old. The style of the tools is just a large rock struck off to create sharp flakes. In the same sites where these tools were discovered, bones with cut marks were also found, suggesting that it was primarily used to process meat from animals.

Another discovery in Bokol Dora 1, researchers unearthed artifacts that are estimated to be about 2.58 million years old. They are also sharpened stone tools, which suggests that there were different groups of humans making similar tools at the same complexity level independently.

Researchers also found that the stone tools weren’t always local, or made from the rocks found in the environment in which they were discovered today. In other words, early hominins carried these tools with them, suggesting intentionality, planning, and just how significant tool use was in their daily lives already millions of years ago.

Read more: Live Science

Who Made the First Tools and How Did They Make Them?

When We First Made Tools

The first use of stone tools was not primarily attributed to the homo hominin species, as there were artifacts discovered that are possibly older than our ancestors. More rudimentary tools known as Lomekwian tools were estimated to be about 3.3 million years old. They were likely crafted by pre-Homo hominins.

However, scientists found that different tools from varied years began almost identically, where a larger rock was struck by another stone, commonly referred to as a hammerstone, to create sharp edges. They were basically used as knives, as the primary functionality of these sharp stones was thought to be for cutting animal flesh or tougher plant materials.

These tools were not flashy, nor are they very symmetrical. At first glance, inexperienced individuals might just see them as regular rocks, but they are sharper than usual and are very effective for the job they were meant to do.

What New Discoveries Tell Us About Their Abilities

So, what does tool making and the use of it reveal about the toolmakers? First, as mentioned above, some of the stones used were not from the same archaeological site where they were found. Researchers found that they originated from distances of up to 6 miles or more.

This meant that the toolmakers, or the early humans back then, knew what type of rocks to use and where to get them, showcasing their planning ability and cognitive skills.

Additionally, the stone tools were not just for cutting. They were also used for breaking the bones of the animals that early humans had scavenged or hunted, and they also pounded them to chew and digest the food more easily.

There were different types of stone tools found, too, as they are not always just a hard rock turned into a sharper version. There were some stone tools that were lighter and softer, but sharper, and some that were harder but more durable.

All of these discoveries simply tell us a tale that early humans, millions of years ago, were not just reacting to their natural environment and circumstances. They were capable of foresight or more advanced thinking that allowed them to find good rocks, transport them, decide which one is the best for the job, and use tools for many tasks.

Read more: Smithsonian Human Origins

Why Did This Matter? How Stone Tools Changed Human Life

How Did Early Humans Make Stone Tools?

So, how did the development of these simple early stone tools make us the humans we are today? First, there is the improvement of their diet. Foods that were hard to access and chew for digestion were now attainable. With sharp tools, they could cut the meat off the bones of the animals and also collect tougher plant materials.

Over time, tools developed, such as learning how to attach a sharp stone to a stick, creating a projectile weapon, or a spear. With these improvements, bigger and faster animals were now on the menu. Food sources that were once impossible or hard to catch were now within reach, such as larger mammals like mammoths and deer.

This change in diet allowed human brains to flourish and grow bigger, along with many other evolutionary factors. Secondly, the stone tools made it easier to survive in a changing climate and environment, where surviving means being able to hunt and or collect food sources as efficiently as possible.

Another result of the creation of stone tools was more advanced social learning and cooperation. The process of toolmaking likely required communication, teaching, and learning. These behaviors built stronger community ties and complex social dynamics, which were also thought to have helped drive bigger brains and more complex cognition.

Author's Final Thoughts

It is still debated whether stone tools were first created 2.6 million years ago. It likely came even before that, but the fossils suggest they are at least that ancient. This is an incredibly important turning point in the history of humanity. These tools were not just for cutting off meat; they meant a lot more to us than our ancestors ever realized.

Stone tools began the steps toward planning, social learning, cooperation, and creativity. It made us the inventors, builders, engineers, and innovators we are today, and without these foundational abilities, we would not have survived and evolved to be a species capable of shaping the world as we know it. Tools are part of our history and what it means to be a human.

Read next: Why Did Human Brains Triple in Size Over the Last 2 Million Years? — Here’s What Scientists Suspect

References & Further Reading

Harmand, S., Lewis, J. E., Feibel, C. S., Lepre, C. J., Prat, S., Lenoble, A., et al. (2015). 3.3-million-year-old stone tools from Lomekwi 3, West Turkana, Kenya. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature14464

Semaw, S., Renne, P. R., Harris, J. W. K., Feibel, C. S., Bernor, R. L., Fesseha, N., et al. (1997). 2.5-million-year-old stone tools from Gona, Ethiopia. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/385333a0