The Development of Hominin Tool Technology: 3D Gallery

The Early Stone Age, 3.3 million - 300,000 Years Ago

Tools were used by members of the hominin species prior to modern homo sapiens. The oldest tools ever found at this time are about 3.3 million years old.

Lomekwian Tools are the oldest to be discovered at this time. Found in West Turkana, Kenya, they were made 3.3 million years ago and predate Oldowan tools by 700,000 years. They were used to process food in various ways and possibly cut wood.

Oldowan Tools, 2.5 million years old

Oldowan tools are crudely-made tools made from rocks such as basalt, quartzite, and quartz. Used for pounding, chopping, and scraping, these tools were made from hitting one rock against another to form specific shapes and sharp edges.

Acheulian Tools, 1.6 million - 200,000 years old

Acheulian tools were made by Homo erectus. The oldest Acheulian tools have been found in Africa and are dated about 1.6 million years ago. These tools are characterized by round, pear, or tear-drop shaped stone hand axes. The size and quality of craftsman ship varies, but the general appearance is the same.

Mousterian Tools, In use between 200,000 - 30,000 years ago

These were produced in the Middle Stone Age by mainly Neanderthals. Mousterian tools are stones chipped away at skillfully using another stone until the stone is the desired shape and size. Now, Neanderthals are no longer using multi-purpose tools, but are making several different tools to do several different tasks.

Mousterian Tools, used from 160,000-40,000 years ago

Mousterian tools that Neanderthals made include, but are not limited to, hand axes made from disc-shaped stone cores, flake tools which were likely used as knives, denticulate (toothed) tools like saws made from cutting notches into flakes, round limestone balls used as a type of projectile, and wooden spears. Tool kits have been found with several types of tools suggesting that certain tools were used for certain functions. Once Neanderthals became extinct about 40,000 years ago, so too did Mousterian implements.

The Aurignacian, 40,000-10,000 years ago

Aurignacians were anatomically modern humans who lived during the Upper Paleolithic period. Sometimes there people are known as Cro-Magnons. Part of the Homo genus, they lived in Europe and Southeast Asia and developed many skills involving tool use and production. The Aurignacian culture has been defined by their diversification and specialization of tools.

The Venus of Hohle Fels, made between 40,000-35,000 years ago

This figure carved of ivory is the oldest undisputed depiction of a human found at this time. It belongs to the early Aurignacian and was made at the very beginning of the upper Paleolithic period. Aurignacian culture fostered the growth and evolution of tools and their production to make intricate items such as this.

Aurignacian Tools

Aurignacian tools are characterized by the use of flake tools struck from stone cores. The flakes were turned into scrapers of different types. Antler points and worked bone was also turned into scrapers, burins, and blades.

Aurignacian personal adornments

Tools became much more specialized and efficient, so increased decorative and artistic objects were made at this time. These beads and pendants were made from ivory and decorated to the personal liking of the person who owned them.

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The Development of Hominin Tool Technology