Archaeologists find 3 million-year-old tools at a site called the ''the cradle of humankind''
Archaeologists have found some of the first tools used on Earth, dating back 3 million years. The discovery was made in Africa, which is called the ''cradle of humankind.''
It was on the Homa Peninsula in Kenya that clues to the early origins of humanity were found, such as ancient tools and the remains of the Afar australopithecine "Lucy," which lived more than three million years ago. This time, a team of experts discovered small knives created by hominids, the first prehuman species to walk on two legs, DailyMail reports.
The tools were discovered on the Homa Peninsula in Kenya, a region that has yielded clues to the origins of humanity.
Source: Screenshot/CBS
Researchers from the City University of New York said that hominids knew how to hit one stone against another, creating sharp edges. This homemade knife allowed them to peel and slice fruits and vegetables, as well as to cut hippo meat.
Similar stone tools, known as the Oldowan set, have previously been found to be only 1.7 to 2.9 million years old.
The pointed stone allowed human ancestors to cut fruits, vegetables, and meat.
Source: Screenshot/CBS
Leading archaeologist Tom Plummer suggested that the newly discovered tools paved the way for everything that followed. "I believe that the Oldowan tools are the most important technological innovation in human history. After all, it allowed hominids to access a whole range of foods, contributing to an increase in body and brain size," the scientist said.
During the excavations, the team of researchers discovered not only the first knives but also ancient hippopotamus bones with incisions. This proved that Oldowan's technology existed almost three million years ago, CBSNews reports.
The found pointed stones are a technological breakthrough.
Source: Screenshot/CBS
According to scientists, the excavation site may help determine the existence of humans on Earth. "We are the last bipeds, as I call it. All these other ways of life are extinct. And that gives us a lot to think about," said Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian's Human Origins Program and head of the Nyanga Peninsula research.
As a reminder, scientists have found evidence that modern humans appeared in Africa about 300,000 years ago – 600,000 years after hominids went extinct. However, researchers have only recently realized that the prehuman group began walking upright six million years ago.
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