The oldest craft in the world: Flintknapping (& stone tool making) The oldest stone tools currently date to around 3.6 million years ago. Hominins continued to use stone tools in different parts of the world until a matter if decades ago. This technology is the foundation of human evolution and is very much an influence on our minds and bodies even today. The likes of the handaxe (the type of tool being produced above) was a implement used for cutting and butchery. Its ergonomic, effective and i

Stone tool technology - How do archaeologists differentiate a blade from a flake? Blade or laminar core technology appeared with modern humans and spread into the regions they inhabited. As modern humans spread throughout Africa, Asia and Europe, they would have come into contact (either directly or in-directly) with Neanderthals. There are some instances of Neanderthal lithic technology changing to incorporate blade-like tools around the time of modern humans. Some researchers however believe t

Was it a stone tool or just a rock? An archaeologist explains how scientists can tell the difference

Dig Deeper: How Are Stone Tools Made?