An archaeological discovery in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania has changed our understanding of the technological evolution of early hominins. Researchers from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) have identified a set of bone tools dating back 1.5 million years, revealing that the manufacture of such instruments was not a sporadic event but a methodical and systematic process.

The study, published in the journal Nature, represents a significant advance in the archaeology of human origins. Before this discovery, it was believed that our primitive ancestors relied almost exclusively on stone tools. However, the finding suggests that hominins of this era also exploited other materials, such as bone, to expand their technological repertoire.

According to Ignacio de la Torre, a CSIC researcher and co-director of the excavation, this discovery demonstrates that early humans had greater technological capabilities than previously estimated.

bone tools hominins africa
Bone bones found at Olduvai, in the CSIC laboratory. Credit: CSIC

The manufacture of bone tools involves a series of advanced cognitive skills, including the ability to transfer knowledge from one material to another, explains De la Torre. The hominins of this period not only manipulated stone to create tools but also knew how to adapt their knowledge to work with bone, marking an important leap in their cultural and technical evolution.

The importance of this discovery lies in the fact that, until now, the transition between Oldowan and Acheulean technology was known primarily through stone tools. The Oldowan culture, characterized by the knapping of sharp stone flakes, preceded the Acheulean, which introduced the iconic hand axes. The inclusion of bone tools in this process suggests that the technological evolution of early humans was more complex and diverse than previously thought.

The early hominins who inhabited the Olduvai Gorge shared their environment with predators such as felines and birds of prey, making survival a constant challenge. Until now, it was believed that these primitive humans primarily saw animals as threats or as competitors for food resources. However, evidence suggests that they also considered them a source of raw materials for tool making.

bone tools hominins africa
Olduvai bone tool, at the CSIC laboratory. Credit: CSIC

Our data show that Acheulean hominins already had primary access to meat and bones, indicating a much more sophisticated resource-exploitation strategy, says De la Torre. The use of bone tools suggests a level of planning and abstraction greater than previously considered for these human groups.

This discovery challenges the idea that the systematic production of bone tools only appeared around 500,000 years ago. Instead, the evidence from Olduvai demonstrates that these behaviors emerged more than a million years earlier than previously thought, requiring a revision of existing evolutionary models.

The finding is part of the Olduvai Gorge Archaeological Project (OGAP), an initiative led by Ignacio de la Torre and Jackson Njau of Indiana University. Since 2010, this project has conducted 19 excavation campaigns in Olduvai, aiming to better understand the transition between the Oldowan and the Acheulean and to shed light on the evolution of Homo habilis and its successor, Homo erectus.

SOURCES

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)

de la Torre, I., Doyon, L., Benito-Calvo, A. et al. Systematic bone tool production at 1.5 million years ago. Nature (2025). doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08652-5

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