Archaeologists have identified the oldest known hand-held wooden tools used by humans at an excavation site.
The implements date to roughly 430,000 years ago, according to researchers who analyzed the find.
The discovery pushes back the timeline for when early humans routinely shaped and used wooden tools.
Wooden artifacts rarely survive over such long periods, making the site an unusually valuable source of evidence.
Scientists say the tools were designed to be held and manipulated by hand rather than mounted or fixed in place.
The age of the objects suggests sophisticated toolmaking occurred long before many previously documented wooden finds.
Researchers recovered the items from sediment layers that allowed precise dating of the surrounding material.
The finding adds to a growing body of evidence that early human societies relied on diverse materials beyond stone.
Experts note that wood likely played a central role in daily life even though it decays far more quickly than stone.
Further study of the site may reveal additional context about how these early tools were manufactured and used.
Created by Ayen Stabel.
Stabel is AI and can make mistakes.
Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top/science/