Stone Tools Essay Example

other artifacts offer evidence about how early humans made things, how they lived, interacted with their surroundings, and evolved over time.Spanning the past 2.

6 million years, many thousands of archeological sites have been excavated, studied, and dated. These sites often consist of the accumulated debris from making and using stone tools. Because stone tools are less susceptible to destruction than bones, stone artifacts typically offer the best evidence of where and when early humans lived, their geographic dispersal, and their ability to survive in a variety of habitats. But since multiple hominin species often existed at the same time, it can be difficult to determine which species made the tools at any given site.Most important is that stone tools provide evidence about the technologies, dexterity, particular kinds of mental skills, and innovations that were within the grasp of early human toolmakers.Early Stone Age ToolsThe earliest stone toolmaking developed by at least 2.

6 million years ago. The Early Stone Age began with the most basic stone implements made by early humans. These Oldowan toolkits include hammerstones, stone cores, and sharp stone flakes. By about 1.76 million years ago, early humans began to make Acheulean handaxes and other large cutting tools. Explore some examples of Early Stone Age tools.

Middle Stone Age ToolsBy 200,000 years ago, the pace of innovation in stone technology began to accelerate. Middle Stone Age toolkits included points, which could be hafted on to shafts to make spears; stone awls, which could have been used to perforate hides; and scrapers that were useful in preparing hide, wood, and other materials. Explore some examples of Middle Stone Age tools.Later Stone Age ToolsDuring the Later Stone

Age, the pace of innovations rose.

People experimented with diverse raw materials (bone, ivory, and antler, as well as stone), the level of craftsmanship increased, and different groups sought their own distinct cultural identity and adopted their own ways of making things. Explore some examples of Later Stone Age tools.ConclusionThe time after the Stone Age is the Bronze Age, named after the metal bronze. The Stone Age ended when people discovered the art of smelting (making metals). The first metal was copper, followed by bronze.

People probably began using bronze instead of just stone in the Middle East sometime between 3000 and 2000 BC.The Palaeolithic is a prehistoric era distinguished by the development of stone tools. It covers the greatest portion of humanity's time on Earth, from about 2.7 million years ago to about 20,000 years ago. It was followed by the Mesolithic and Neolithic cultures.