Katerina Harvati & Dimitris Michailidis
The discovery is particularly notable because of the difficulty in finding wooden artifacts this old, as they tend to degrade quickly.
Archaeologists working at a site on the shores of a lake in southern Greece have discovered what are now believed to be the oldest wooden tools in the worlddating back approximately 430 thousand years.
The two artifacts were found in Megalopolis Basina region long known to researchers for its rich archaeological record. One of the tools is a thin wooden stick about 80 centimeters long, which scientists believe was used to dig or probe the wet mud near the lake’s shore. The second artifact is smaller and more enigmatic: a piece of willow or poplar wood that researchers believe was used to shape or retouch stone tools.
The findings were published this month in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Although stone and bone tools from ancient humans are relatively common, wooden tools are exceptionally rare because wood decomposes quickly with time. These artefacts are generally preserved only in special conditions, such as in ice, caves or flooded environments.
In this case, investigators believe the tools were quickly buried by sediment and preserved by conditions of constant humidity, which slowed decomposition. Previous excavations at the site revealed stone tools and elephant bones with cut marks, suggesting repeated human activity in the area.
Although the wooden tools themselves have not been directly dated, the surrounding geological layers are estimated to be around 430,000 years old, providing a reliable age range for the artifacts. According to study author Annemieke Milks from the University of Reading, the discovery is significant on both a personal and scientific level. “I always felt thrilled to be able to touch these objects“, he told the Associated Press.
No human remains have been found at the site to date, which leaves open the question of who manufactured and used the tools. Possible candidates include Neanderthals, older human ancestors, or other hominin groups that lived in the region at the time.
“This discovery offers a rare glimpse of a little-known aspect of toolmaking by early humans,” said study author Katerina Harvati from the University of Tübingen.
