Carved animal bones in Olduvai Gorge changed what scientists thought early toolmakers could do

Stone tools made up for most of what was known regarding early technologies used by hominins for several decades. From razor-sharp flakes to hand axes and various fragments of rocks that could serve some practical purpose. Bone tools are much younger and always associated with the more evolved stages of human activity. However, recent findings from Tanzania could change the course of research regarding the history of bone toolmaking among early humans.

An assemblage of artificially worked animal bones was found in the famous prehistoric site of Olduvai Gorge, dating back to as long as 1.5 million years ago. It implies that the systematic production of bone tools started much earlier than previously thought, with the results being published in Nature. One should pay attention to the time of the findings which pushed the start date of organized bone making back more than a million years when compared to previous studies.

A well-dated finding


The described assemblage was discovered at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. As stated in the Nature study, the tools were discovered in one layer estimated to be dated to approximately 1.5 million years ago. This aspect has implications in archaeology, where contamination or disturbance of the sediments may lead to inaccuracies in any inference made about their age and use. In this study, the authors argue that the sediments are quite reliable.

It became clear that there were repeated patterns of modifications of the bones due solely to knapping. Many bones showed signs of having been modified for tool making purposes. This recent discovery shows the advancement of the timeline for bone technology used by hominin ancestors.

Why was previous evidence contested?

Previous remains of bones have been found at Olduvai Gorge, but in some instances, evidence of the manipulation of bones for early hominins had been doubted. The issue arose because differentiating between intentional shaping and accidental breakage caused by animals or environmental forces was difficult.

As explained in a 2022 Scientific Reports paper, previous evidence of bone use has been too scanty to show intentional shaping of bones. The significance of this discovery in the ongoing discourse is the increased number of specimens present, as well as the extremely controlled excavation environment.

Implications for technology evolution

Another general implication of the discovery of the Olduvai tool kit has much to do with the behavior of early hominins. In the article in Nature News & Views, the tool kit is described as evidence of deliberate use of bone in industry by early hominins. Early hominins did not confine themselves to only using stone; instead, they seemed to use different kinds of materials depending on the specific activities they were engaged in. This was indicative of the intentional behaviors on behalf of hominins.

The discoveries suggest that these hominins had knowledge about the properties of bones and could manipulate this material in an organized manner, the article notes. Moreover, the discovery may imply that innovations are under-represented in archaeological record due to quick decay of materials such as organic remains over millions of years.

Beyond scavenging activities

The implication of these discoveries goes beyond scavenging activities. Indiana University highlighted the importance of fieldwork included in this research, which shows that this archaeological excavation took place from 2015 to 2022 under the leadership of the project co-directors Jackson Njau and Ignacio de la Torre.

Thanks to this extensive research, it was possible to obtain enough evidence to reach some conclusions. However, this evidence also provides an opportunity to look at the study of cognitive processes in another perspective. Scientists are yet not ready to describe these behaviors as manifestations of "modern" cognition. Nonetheless, it is evident that there are manifestations of coordination and selective use of raw materials involved.

Why Olduvai Gorge is relevant nowadays

Olduvai Gorge can be considered as one of the key points of scientific interest in the sphere of human evolution. Here scientists have found important information regarding the presence of stone tool technology and humans during that period. Today, this site is going to offer another aspect that can be revealed – bone technologies. This fact changes researchers' views on innovation in the early periods of human history.

It is quite obvious that the existence of the Olduvai bone tools does not change anything in what was known until now regarding early humans. It definitely adds a significant dimension to what was previously known.