The Paleolithic period, also known as Old Stone Age, was a remarkable period that encompassed the creation and use of chipped stone tools that characterized the evolution of technology from the Oldowan to the Acheulian, Mousterian, and Upper Paleolithic periods.
Early stone tools, known as chopper tools or hammer stones, were discovered by archaeologists at several sites in eastern and southern Africa. Using a technique called percussion flaking, hammer stone tools were used to remove flakes to form choppers or cores, which were then used for making more tools. These tools were first discovered at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, thus, the name Oldowan tools or Oldowan technology. Oldowan tools were used for cutting animal skin and to make wooden tools, such as spears. …show more content…
They developed a new technology called the Acheulian technology, which was named after St. Acheul in France, where archaeologists found some of the first Acheulian tools. These tools, like the Oldowan choppers, were made using the percussion flaking technique but they were more complex. Acheulian technology is best characterized by its hand ax, which Scupin (2012) described as “a sharp, bifacially-flaked stone tool shaped like a large almond, which would have been effective for a variety of chopping and cutting tasks” (p. 29). The hand ax was different from the Oldowan choppers in that, it was made by removing many flakes to produce a tool with a specific shape. Later, Acheulian tools were made using a more sophisticated method of percussion flaking called the baton technique, in which a hammer or baton made of bone or antler was used to remove flakes. The baton allowed for more precision and greater control over the finished product than a hammer
Early stone tools, known as chopper tools or hammer stones, were discovered by archaeologists at several sites in eastern and southern Africa. Using a technique called percussion flaking, hammer stone tools were used to remove flakes to form choppers or cores, which were then used for making more tools. These tools were first discovered at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, thus, the name Oldowan tools or Oldowan technology. Oldowan tools were used for cutting animal skin and to make wooden tools, such as spears. …show more content…
They developed a new technology called the Acheulian technology, which was named after St. Acheul in France, where archaeologists found some of the first Acheulian tools. These tools, like the Oldowan choppers, were made using the percussion flaking technique but they were more complex. Acheulian technology is best characterized by its hand ax, which Scupin (2012) described as “a sharp, bifacially-flaked stone tool shaped like a large almond, which would have been effective for a variety of chopping and cutting tasks” (p. 29). The hand ax was different from the Oldowan choppers in that, it was made by removing many flakes to produce a tool with a specific shape. Later, Acheulian tools were made using a more sophisticated method of percussion flaking called the baton technique, in which a hammer or baton made of bone or antler was used to remove flakes. The baton allowed for more precision and greater control over the finished product than a hammer