Oldowan Technology

Evidence of Tool Use by Early Hominins Tool use has been around for ages we all know this because we are surrounded by it every day, but how long has tool use in human history been at play? There is evidence of early hominids making and using stone tools that date back millions of years ago. These tools are the earliest known signs of modifying natural materials for use as a tool. In this article we will travel back to the early stages of human evolution to date when we began to use objects to assist with life and how the objects were used and made. Oldowan technology is the earliest known evidence of hominids making tools using their environment. This technology was used in the lower Paleolithic period which dates as far back as 2.6 million …show more content…
“Toth has experimentally replicated thousands of Oldowan artifact forms using the same raw materials as Oldowan knappers and have used these for a wide range of functional experiments (Toth 109)”. Using the experiments he conducted and the having actual tools that were used by the knappers we can almost be certain of what they were used for. For instance we think that flakes are crucial for cutting open and butchering animals. Flakes seem like they are one of the more important tools the Oldowan knappers used to survive. Oldowan tools are the oldest known tools that where created by hominids now let’s look into other species and compare these tools and the tools other primates and creatures use. “Chimpanzees our closest living relatives, have been observed to use tools in over 25 different contexts notably (Pruetz 412)”. Only two of the tools are used to assist with hunting, and these tools are rocks to smash open nuts and fashion tools to collect insects. Oldowan tools where crafted and formed using multiple steps and they used the tools as blades which chimpanzees do …show more content…
We know the chimpanzees are using wooden spears and we know that the oldest organic weapon is 400,000 years old. This weapon is a wooden spear similar to the spears that chimpanzees use today. What makes them really different is that hominids used stone tools as weapons and probably alongside wooden tools even though there is no evidence. “Generally, ape tool use in the wild occurs within a foraging context and is largely restricted to processing vegetable matter or invertebrates (Pruetz 412)”, this is where chimpanzees use a grinding method similar to the method of Oldowan tools to make consuming the food easier. We still use this method today for grinding up hard to digest foods or salts, so we have carried this technology for