Stone Age Tools

The Stone Age is divided into three different ages broadly. In each age, the use of tools made of stones showed significant development of technology and scientific concepts of the early men. In this article, we will discuss how these stone tools evolved in due course of time. We will also find out how bronze got introduced in the tool segment and become a significant part of the materials used for making tools and weapons along with stones.

Stone Tools: An Introduction

The discovery of the stone tools used by early man showed how humans learned to develop new ways to survive the harsh environments and made places habitable eventually. The first stone tool discovered by archeologists dates back 2.6 million years ago. Humans started using tools back then to ease their daily lives. The end of the Stone Age is considered to be 3300 BCE when bronze was introduced in the tool manufacturing segment.

We can easily understand how long humans have relied on using stones as tools for hunting, cultivation, and defense. As the time periods passed, the shape, sizes, and endurance of the tools changed. This age is divided into three different eras.

• The Paleolithic Age or Old Stone Age

• The Mesolithic Age or Middle Stone Age

• The Neolithic Age or New Stone Age

After the end of the Ice Age, at least 12,000 years ago, the Neolithic Age ended. The first stone tool predates these ages and is considered to be the beginning of the Old Stone Age or Paleolithic Age. The emergence of the first tools used by early humans is considered to be the beginning of modern civilization.

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The tools of this age were found first in Ethiopia. This age dates from 2.6 million years, the exact age of the tools found in the caves of this country, to 250,000 years ago. The advent of the Acheulean and Oldowan industries signifies the Middle Paleolithic Age.

During this era, the tools developed comprised flaked pieces and simple cores. Occasional animal bones also appeared alongside hammer stones. In these sites, archeological evidence suggests that humans used volcanic lavas, quartzite, quartz, etc to make tools using techniques such as bipolar and hard hammer percussion. Stone anvils were used for resting the core and to beat them with hammer stone tools.

The tools used by early humans during the Acheulean Period of the Paleolithic Age dates back 1.7 million years to 250,000 years. During this era, these specific tools can be found across the Eurasian continent. Significant development of the tools can be seen according to their shapes. Tools like picks, cleavers, hand axes, knives, etc can be recognized easily due to their features and significant development in shapes. These tools also had better grips that helped the users to perform their functions of killing and gathering better. In fact, two-sided stone tools also emerged showing how humans focused on sharpening the edges for hunting and cutting gatherings.

The Mesolithic Age Stone Tools

The late Paleolithic Age is designated by the end of the Ice Age 12,000 years ago. The climate started to warm up offering better environments to settle down. The sea levels rose and caused woodlands to appear. Animals were abundant during this time and there was no scarcity of food.

Due to this fact, humans started to invest their time and resources to invent different techniques to grow food sources. It is the age where the hunters and gatherers were transforming into harvesters.

The prime development in the stone tools used by early man is the attachment of the small flint-shaped blades used for hunting and cutting. This feature enabled the tool users to cut smaller pieces with precision. The Mesolithic tools were different due to the use of such microlith edges. The multipurpose tools became more versatile and sophisticated.

They also invented bows and arrows and developed arrowheads with stones. Bows and arrows made hunting easier as the hunters can even target distant animals by launching weapons with accuracy and speed.

The Neolithic Age Stone Tools

This is the era of stone tool development ranging from 9000 BCE to 3300 BCE. Within this span, the use of excellent stone tools spread across the northern part of Europe. The development of societies and lifestyle were seen significantly during this era. This is the last phase of human development where stone tools were used before the introduction of bronze.

The early humans tools during this era were designed using antler and bone technologies. They had projectile points showing how humans have stopped running behind their prey and chosen a sedentary lifestyle. The availability of sickles and knives has proved that humans were concentrating on agriculture than hunting or gathering. Farming was introduced for crops and animals leading to a less-risky lifestyle and more peace.

The uses of stone tools show how the lifestyle of humans has changed and evolved over millions of years. The intricacy of the technologies used to make such tools also tells us how the human mind is thirsty for knowledge and better solutions. We evolved and adapted from the era of the Ice Age till its end and settle down by transforming from hunters into farmers. The development of finer tools such as needles and sickles also tells us that we have learned how to use our hands and fingers better to grow crops, sew clothes, harvest, and for other functions.