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Lower Paleolithic

The Lower Paleolithic, also referred to as the Early Stone Age, represents the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age in human prehistory, spanning from approximately 3.3 million years ago to around 300,000–200,000 years ago.^[1] It is characterized by the emergence of stone tool production by early hominins, beginning with the Lomekwian industry in Africa before the development of more systematic technologies that spread to Eurasia, marking the beginning of technological and behavioral adaptations that distinguished early humans from other primates.^[2] This period encompasses the first evidence of tool-making as a cultural trait, with assemblages reflecting opportunistic scavenging, basic processing of food resources, and gradual innovations in lithic technology.^[3] The defining technological hallmark of the Lower Paleolithic is the Oldowan industry, which appeared around 2.6 million years ago in East Africa and persisted until about 1.7–1.2 million years ago.^[4] Oldowan tools consist of simple cores, flakes, and choppers produced through basic percussion techniques, likely used for cutting meat, scraping hides, and cracking bones to access marrow.^[5] These artifacts, found at key sites such as Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania and Gona in Ethiopia, indicate early hominins' ability to modify natural materials for practical purposes, though without evidence of hafting or composite tools.^[6] A major advancement within the Lower Paleolithic was the Acheulean industry, emerging around 1.7 million years ago in Africa and dispersing widely across continents by Homo erectus.^[5] Acheulean toolkits feature symmetrical bifacial handaxes, cleavers, and picks made through more controlled knapping, reflecting increased cognitive planning and standardization in production.^[3] Sites like Konso-Gardula in Ethiopia (dated to 1.9–1.5 million years ago) and Boxgrove in England (500,000 years ago) illustrate this industry's global reach, with tools adapted to diverse environments from savannas to woodlands.^[7] By the late Lower Paleolithic, around 400,000 years ago, evidence of controlled fire use and wooden spears appears, suggesting shifts toward more active hunting and social organization.^[5] Associated hominins include late Australopithecus species for the earliest Oldowan tools, followed by early Homo such as Homo habilis and Homo ergaster, with Homo erectus dominating the Acheulean phase and enabling migrations out of Africa around 1.8 million years ago.^[7] These populations adapted to varied climates and ecosystems, as seen in Eurasian sites like Dmanisi, Georgia (1.8 million years ago), where tools and fossils reveal early responses to colder conditions.^[8] The period's end is marked by a gradual transition to the Middle Paleolithic around 300,000 years ago, characterized by more diverse flake technologies like Levallois and the rise of Neanderthals and early modern humans.^[3] Overall, the Lower Paleolithic lays the foundation for human cultural evolution, demonstrating cumulative technological progress, dietary expansions through carnivory, and the biological dispersal of our genus across the Old World.^[9] Its study, through paleoanthropological excavations and taphonomic analyses, continues to illuminate the origins of human adaptability and innovation.^[10]

Definition and Chronology

Overview and Timeframe

The Lower Paleolithic represents the earliest phase of the Paleolithic period, also known as the Old Stone Age, and constitutes the first stage of the Stone Age in human prehistory. It is defined by the initial appearance and development of stone tool technologies by early hominins, beginning with the Oldowan industry and the oldest widely accepted artifacts dated to approximately 2.6 million years ago in East Africa.^[5] This period extends until roughly 300,000 years ago, when more sophisticated tool-making methods emerged, signaling a transition to the Middle Paleolithic.^[3] The timeframe encompasses significant evolutionary milestones, including the adaptation of multiple hominin species to diverse environments across Africa and beyond. The concept of the Paleolithic originated in the mid-19th century amid growing interest in prehistoric archaeology, with British archaeologist John Lubbock coining the term "Palaeolithic" in his 1865 book Pre-historic Times as Illustrated by Ancient Remains and the Manners and Customs of Modern Savages.^[11] Lubbock's work established the broad division between the Old Stone Age and the later Neolithic, drawing parallels between ancient tools and those of contemporary non-industrial societies. Subsequent refinements by European archaeologists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries formalized the subdivision into Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic based on stratigraphic evidence and tool typology, with the Lower phase identified as the foundational era of rudimentary lithic industries.^[11] Key features of the Lower Paleolithic include basic stone-working techniques, such as simple percussion flaking to create core tools like choppers (e.g., Oldowan tradition) and bifacial handaxes (e.g., Acheulean tradition), reflecting limited hierarchical planning in manufacture.^[6] Hominin subsistence economies relied on opportunistic scavenging of large mammal carcasses and hunting of smaller game, supplemented by plant gathering, as evidenced by cut marks on bones from sites associated with early tool use.^[12] This period also witnessed the earliest major hominin dispersals out of Africa, beginning around 1.8 million years ago with Homo erectus, who carried Acheulean technologies to Eurasia. In contrast to the Middle Paleolithic, which introduced prepared-core methods like Levallois for greater tool standardization and is linked to Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens with enhanced cognitive and symbolic behaviors, the Lower Paleolithic exhibits simpler technologies and is dominated by pre-Homo species and early members of the genus Homo.^[6]

Geological Stages

The Lower Paleolithic begins during the latter part of the Gelasian stage (5.3 to 2.58 million years ago), which marks the transition from the Pliocene to the Pleistocene epoch, specifically from around 2.6 Ma with the emergence of Oldowan tools. During this period, climates were predominantly tropical to subtropical, characterized by warm and humid conditions that supported extensive woodland and forested environments, particularly in East Africa where early hominin species like Australopithecus emerged.^[13] These environments facilitated the initial development of stone tool use around 2.6 Ma, as evidenced by Oldowan-like artifacts, amid gradual tectonic and sea-level changes that began to influence habitat fragmentation.^[14] The Calabrian stage, from 2.58 Ma to 781 thousand years ago (ka), represents the early Pleistocene and is defined by the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) at Vrica, Italy, coinciding with the base of the Olduvai geomagnetic subchron. This stage saw progressive global cooling, driven by palaeoceanographic shifts such as the closure of the Panama isthmus, leading to drier conditions and the expansion of savanna grasslands across Africa and Eurasia.^[15] These environmental transformations prompted hominin adaptations to open landscapes, including enhanced mobility and resource exploitation, as glacial-interglacial cycles began with low-amplitude fluctuations evidenced by oxygen isotope records and increased ice-rafted debris in marine sediments.^[15] Pollen data from Mediterranean sites indicate a shift from subtropical forests to steppic vegetation, correlating with the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciations.^[15] The early Chibanian stage, from 781 ka to approximately 300 ka, defines the initial phase of the Middle Pleistocene subseries, with its base ratified at the Chiba section in Japan at 774.1 ka, just below the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal. Climate variability intensified during this time, featuring amplified glacial-interglacial cycles under a ~100 kyr orbital rhythm, as seen in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19's rapid shifts from interglacial warmth to glacial inception within centuries.^[16] These fluctuations supported diverse megafaunal assemblages, including large herbivores like mammoths and bison, in mosaic habitats of woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands that peaked Acheulean tool distribution across Africa, Europe, and Asia before the transition to the Middle Paleolithic.^[17] Millennial-scale oscillations, driven by precession and monsoon dynamics, created dynamic environments that tested hominin resilience.^[16] The geological stages of the Lower Paleolithic correlate closely with Marine Isotope Stages (MIS), which record global climate fluctuations through oxygen isotope ratios in deep-sea cores. For instance, the late Lower Paleolithic aligns with MIS 22 to 12 (approximately 880–424 ka), encompassing multiple glacial (even-numbered) and interglacial (odd-numbered) cycles; MIS 12 (478–424 ka) represents a severe glacial maximum with extensive ice sheets, while MIS 13 and 11 (524–478 ka and 424–374 ka, respectively) highlight interglacial warmth that expanded habitable zones in Western Europe.^[18] These MIS transitions underscore increasing climatic instability, with rapid sea-level changes and vegetation shifts influencing hominin dispersals.^[18]

Dating Techniques

Relative dating methods form the foundation for establishing chronologies in Lower Paleolithic contexts, providing sequences of events without precise numerical ages. Stratigraphy relies on the principle of superposition, where lower layers are older than those above, allowing archaeologists to order artifacts and fossils within sedimentary sequences.^[19] Biostratigraphy uses fossil assemblages, such as bovid remains, to correlate ages across sites based on evolutionary first appearances or extinctions of mammalian species indicative of early Pleistocene environments.^[20] Paleomagnetism examines reversals in Earth's magnetic field recorded in sediments or volcanic rocks, with the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal at approximately 780,000 years ago serving as a key marker for deposits around the Middle Pleistocene boundary. Absolute dating techniques offer numerical ages essential for calibrating Lower Paleolithic timelines, particularly in volcanic-rich regions. Potassium-argon (K-Ar) dating measures the decay of potassium-40 to argon-40 in volcanic layers, famously applied to tuffs at Olduvai Gorge yielding ages around 1.8 million years ago for early Oldowan tools. Argon-argon (Ar-Ar) dating refines K-Ar by neutron irradiation, improving precision and reducing errors from argon loss, and has been used to date early Pleistocene sites with volcanic components.^[20] Cosmogenic nuclide dating, such as the 26Al/10Be ratio in quartz grains, determines burial ages by tracking differential decay after sediment deposition, applicable to cave or fluvial contexts up to several million years old. Despite their utility, these methods face significant limitations in Lower Paleolithic studies. Tropical environments often lead to poor organic preservation, restricting biostratigraphy and complicating absolute dating reliant on datable materials. Contamination risks, such as excess argon in K-Ar samples or incomplete zeroing in cosmogenic methods, can skew results, while resolution decreases for contexts older than 500,000 years due to nuclide saturation or decay uncertainties.^[20] Recent advancements have enhanced chronological precision for Lower Paleolithic sites. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating measures trapped electrons in quartz to estimate sediment burial times, achieving accuracies of ±10,000 years in well-preserved deposits and extending to 500,000 years or more with single-grain analysis. Uranium-series dating on speleothems provides high-resolution ages for karstic sites, often combined with other methods for cross-validation and reaching precisions of ±10,000 years in suitable carbonates. These techniques support dating of stages like the Calabrian by anchoring sedimentary records to absolute timescales.^[20]

Hominin Species and Evolution

Key Hominin Species

The Lower Paleolithic is associated with several key hominin species, beginning with early members of the genus Australopithecus and extending to early Homo taxa. These species are primarily known from fossil evidence in East Africa, with later dispersals into Eurasia. Their temporal ranges overlap with the emergence of stone tool technologies, though direct associations vary. Australopithecus afarensis, dating from approximately 3.9 to 2.9 million years ago, represents one of the earliest hominins potentially linked to pre-Oldowan tool use. The species is best exemplified by the partial skeleton AL 288-1, known as "Lucy," discovered in 1974 at Hadar, Ethiopia, and dated to about 3.2 million years ago.^[21] This ~40% complete individual, an adult female standing around 1.1 meters tall, provides key insights into bipedal locomotion and body proportions. Additional evidence includes controversial cut marks on animal bones from Dikika, Ethiopia, dated to 3.4 million years ago, suggesting (though debated) possible stone tool use by A. afarensis or contemporaries.^[22] Fossils from sites like Laetoli, Tanzania (3.6 million years ago), further confirm the species' widespread presence in eastern Africa during this period.^[22] Homo habilis, the earliest species within the genus Homo, spanned roughly 2.4 to 1.4 million years ago and is primarily known from East African sites. Characterized by an average brain size of about 600 cm³, this species shows a modest increase in encephalization compared to australopiths.^[23] Key fossils include those from Koobi Fora, Kenya, such as KNM-ER 1813, a cranium dated to around 1.9 million years ago, which exhibits primitive features alongside larger brain capacity.^[24] These remains are often associated with Oldowan tool assemblages, indicating early technological capabilities, though direct attribution remains debated. Homo ergaster, dating from approximately 1.8 to 1.4 million years ago, represents an early African member of the genus Homo, often regarded as the ancestor to later Homo erectus populations. This species exhibited modern human-like body proportions, with a brain size ranging from 800 to 1,100 cm³, and is associated with the initial development of Acheulean tools. Key specimens include the nearly complete skeleton KNM-WT 15000 ("Turkana Boy") from Nariokotome, Kenya, dated to about 1.6 million years ago, representing a juvenile around 1.6 meters tall.^[25] Homo erectus, emerging around 1.9 million years ago and persisting until approximately 110,000 years ago, represents a major evolutionary milestone with its widespread geographic dispersal. Brain size in this species ranged from about 900 to 1,200 cm³, reflecting significant encephalization and bodily adaptations for endurance.^[26] Early fossils, such as those from Dmanisi, Georgia, dated to 1.85–1.78 million years ago, include small-brained individuals (around 600–800 cm³) classified as early H. erectus or a related form, marking the first hominin presence outside Africa.^[27] Evidence for controlled fire use appears by 1.0 million years ago at Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa, where burned bones and plant remains indicate habitual pyrotechnology.^[28] H. erectus fossils are found across Africa, Europe, and Asia, underscoring its cosmopolitan nature. Contemporaneous with early Homo species were robust australopiths like Paranthropus robustus, which lived from about 2.0 to 1.0 million years ago in southern Africa. Known from sites such as Swartkrans and Kromdraai, this species featured massive jaws and large molars adapted for tough vegetation, with brain sizes remaining small at around 500 cm³.^[29] Fossils indicate coexistence with H. habilis and H. erectus, though P. robustus likely occupied distinct ecological niches without strong evidence of tool manufacture. In the later stages of the Lower Paleolithic, early Homo heidelbergensis appeared around 700,000 to 300,000 years ago, bridging African H. erectus populations with later Eurasian forms. The type specimen, the Mauer mandible from Germany, is dated to 609,000 years ago and shows robust features intermediate between H. erectus and Neanderthals.^[30] Associated fossils from sites like Boxgrove, England (500,000 years ago), suggest advanced mobility and tool use in temperate environments.^[31]

Anatomical and Behavioral Developments

During the Lower Paleolithic, hominin anatomical adaptations refined bipedal locomotion for greater efficiency over long distances. In Homo erectus, the development of a longitudinal arch in the foot, along with spring-like Achilles tendons, improved energy storage and return during walking and running, facilitating endurance-based mobility across varied terrains. This species also exhibited reduced sexual dimorphism relative to earlier australopiths, with body size differences between males and females decreasing to around 15-20%, potentially promoting cooperative foraging and reduced intra-group aggression.^[32] ^[33] Additionally, H. erectus achieved taller statures of 1.5-1.8 meters and proportionally longer limbs, adaptations that enhanced thermoregulation and sustained travel, as evidenced by skeletal proportions optimized for persistence activities. Brain expansion marked a significant cognitive leap in Lower Paleolithic hominins. Early forms like Australopithecus had cranial capacities averaging 400-500 cm³, while H. erectus brains grew to 900-1,200 cm³, representing a near tripling in volume over roughly 2 million years.^[34] ^[25] This increase correlated with enhanced neural processing for forward planning, such as anticipating resource locations, and more complex social structures, including larger group sizes that demanded improved communication and cooperation.^[26] Behavioral developments reflected these anatomical shifts through opportunistic resource exploitation. Cut marks on animal bones from sites like Olduvai Gorge show that hominins primarily scavenged carcasses, often accessing marrow and scraps after carnivores had fed, rather than engaging in systematic big-game hunting, as indicated by the low frequency of percussion marks and absence of projectile injuries.^[35] Evidence of fire control emerges around 1 million years ago at Wonderwerk Cave, where microscopic analysis of ash layers and heated sediments reveals repeated in situ burning, likely for cooking meat or providing warmth and protection.^[36] By approximately 300,000 years ago, ochre processing at African sites suggests nascent symbolic behaviors, with ground pigments possibly used for body adornment or ritual marking, hinting at emerging cultural expression.^[37] Dietary patterns evolved to include a broader resource base, supporting higher energy demands. Dental microwear analysis on H. erectus teeth reveals scratches and pits consistent with abrasive foods like tubers and grasses, while stable carbon isotope ratios (\delta^{13}C values of -8 to -5‰ in enamel) indicate substantial consumption of C₄ plants, such as savanna grasses or sedges, alongside meat from scavenged herbivores. ^[38] This mixed diet, inferred from higher trophic-level nitrogen isotopes (\delta^{15}N) in bone collagen, reflects adaptation to open environments and opportunistic feeding strategies.

Tool Technologies

Oldowan Tradition

The Oldowan tradition marks the earliest widespread stone tool industry of the Lower Paleolithic, emerging in East Africa around 2.6 million years ago with simple, expedient technologies that reflect basic knapping skills among early hominins. The oldest confirmed Oldowan artifacts, including systematically flaked cores and flakes exhibiting conchoidal fractures and bulbs of percussion, come from the Bokol Dora 1 site in the Ledi-Geraru region of Ethiopia, dated to between 2.61 and 2.58 million years ago. Recent discoveries at Namorotukunan, Kenya, dated to 2.75–2.45 million years ago, reveal early Oldowan assemblages showing technological stability over approximately 300,000 years amid environmental instability, including increased aridity and wildfires.^[39] A potential precursor to this industry, termed Lomekwian, is represented by an assemblage of cores, flakes, and anvils at Lomekwi 3 in West Turkana, Kenya, dated to 3.3 million years ago and produced via passive hammer and bipolar knapping on locally available stones. These early tools indicate intentional modification predating the standardized Oldowan by about 700,000 years, though the Lomekwian lacks the recurrent flaking patterns defining later Oldowan assemblages. Oldowan tool production centered on uncomplicated percussion flaking, where hammerstones—typically rounded cobbles—were used to detach sharp-edged flakes from angular cores, yielding choppers (cores with one or more flake removals), unmodified flakes, and exhausted cores, all without deliberate retouch or systematic shaping to impose standardized forms. This least-effort strategy exploited the natural fracture properties of raw materials, prioritizing opportunistic access to sharp edges over planned morphology, as evidenced by the irregular flake scars and lack of platform preparation in assemblages from sites like Olduvai Gorge. Common materials included durable, locally sourced lithics such as quartz, quartzite, and basalt, with most tools measuring 5–10 cm in maximum dimension to suit handheld use. These artifacts often occur in dense scatters alongside debris from knapping activities, underscoring their production in varied ecological contexts. Use-wear patterns on Oldowan tools reveal multifunctional applications, primarily for butchering animal tissues—such as cutting and scraping meat from carcasses—and processing plant materials like wood, tubers, and grasses, with edge microfractures and polish indicating abrasive contact with soft animal hides or gritty plant surfaces. Experimental replication and analysis of ~2.0-million-year-old quartz and quartzite artifacts from Kanjera South, Kenya, identified interpretable use-traces on 23 edges, with 30% linked to animal processing (corroborating cut-marked bones at the site) and 70% to plant tissues, including underground storage organs critical for tropical foraging diets. The tradition is briefly associated with early Homo species, including Homo habilis, whose fossils co-occur with Oldowan assemblages in East African strata. The Oldowan persisted as the dominant technology across Africa for nearly a million years, from ~2.6 to ~1.7 million years ago, before transitioning amid the emergence of more complex industries. Its export beyond Africa is documented by 1.8 million years ago, with simple flake and core tools at Dmanisi, Georgia—dated to 1.85–1.78 million years ago—representing the earliest evidence of hominin dispersal into Eurasia while retaining Oldowan characteristics.

Acheulean Tradition

The Acheulean tradition emerged approximately 1.76 million years ago at the Konso-Gardula site in southern Ethiopia, marking a significant technological advancement in the Lower Paleolithic, and persisted until around 200,000 years ago across Africa and Eurasia.^[40]^[41] This industry is distinguished by its emphasis on biface production, including handaxes and cleavers, achieved through bifacial knapping that involved shaping both sides of a core to create symmetrical, standardized tools.^[40]^[42] These innovations required considerable foresight in planning the sequence of flake removals, contrasting with the simpler, less standardized flaking of the earlier Oldowan tradition, though early Acheulean phases show some overlap with Oldowan tools.^[41]^[43] Tool manufacture in the Acheulean relied primarily on hard hammer percussion using stone hammers to detach large flakes from a core, establishing the basic form of bifaces, with later refinements incorporating soft hammer techniques using wood or bone for greater control and thinner edges.^[44]^[45] In its later stages, some assemblages exhibit precursor elements to the Levallois method, such as prepared platforms and preferential flaking patterns that anticipated more efficient core reduction strategies.^[46] Common materials included fine-grained stones like flint and chert, which allowed for precise knapping, resulting in iconic teardrop- or pear-shaped handaxes typically measuring 12–20 cm in length, though some reached up to 30 cm.^[4]^[44] The production of these symmetrical bifaces implies advanced cognitive capabilities, including mental representation of the final tool form and sequential planning over multiple stages, which may correlate with the increased brain size of Homo erectus, averaging 900–1,100 cm³ compared to earlier hominins.^[47]^[48] This technological complexity suggests enhanced working memory and executive functions, enabling hominins to anticipate tool utility for diverse tasks like butchery and woodworking.^[49]^[50]

Pre-Oldowan Evidence

The earliest evidence of potential stone tool use predating the Oldowan tradition comes from the Lomekwi 3 site in West Turkana, Kenya, where artifacts dated to approximately 3.3 million years ago (Ma) were discovered. These include anvils, hammerstones, cores, and flakes produced through intentional knapping, indicating deliberate modification of stone for sharp edges. The assemblage, comprising over 140 artifacts, shows signs of reduction sequences where cores were struck to detach usable flakes, suggesting early hominin experimentation with lithic technology. Possible makers include Australopithecus afarensis or Kenyanthropus platyops, based on associated faunal remains and chronological overlap with these species in the region.^[1] Another candidate site is Dikika in the Afar region of Ethiopia, yielding bone fragments dated to about 3.4 Ma with cutmarks interpreted as evidence of stone-tool-assisted defleshing of animal carcasses. These marks, found on two hippopotamus fossils, exhibit V-shaped incisions consistent with sharp-edged stones scraping meat from bone, predating Lomekwi by roughly 100,000 years. The site is associated with Australopithecus afarensis, though direct fossil links remain tentative. However, this evidence is limited to indirect traces on bones rather than preserved stone tools.^[51] Characteristics of these pre-Oldowan artifacts distinguish them from later industries through their production methods and forms. At Lomekwi 3, knapping primarily involved a "passive hammer" technique, where the core rested on a stationary anvil and was struck by a handheld hammerstone, resulting in larger, more irregular flakes with pronounced bulb of percussion and less platform preparation compared to Oldowan examples. Experimental replications using similar raw materials (e.g., basalt and phonolite) have confirmed that these fracture patterns exceed what natural processes like trampling or geological breakage can produce, as natural flakes tend to lack the consistent conchoidal scarring and acute angles seen in the artifacts. Dikika's cutmarks similarly show experimental parallels to unmodified stone edges but are shallower and more variable than those from later butchery sites.^[1]^[52] Debates surrounding these finds center on attribution of agency and methodological challenges. For Lomekwi 3, while fracture patterns support hominin intentionality, critics question whether non-human primates or even environmental factors could replicate the knapping, though experiments indicate the required force and precision align more with early hominin capabilities. Dikika's marks have faced greater scrutiny, with alternative explanations including crocodile bites—supported by similar deep, parallel grooves on experimental crocodile-damaged bones—or sediment abrasion, prompting calls for larger sample sizes to resolve ambiguities. Dating relies on stratigraphic correlation and paleomagnetic analysis, but potential contamination or reworking of sediments has fueled controversies over precise ages. These discussions also extend to cognitive implications, as such tool use suggests planning and motor skills in pre-Homo hominins, potentially linked to dietary shifts or social behaviors.^[53]^[1]^[54] The significance of pre-Oldowan evidence lies in its challenge to traditional models tying systematic stone tool production to Homo habilis around 2.6 Ma, instead indicating that tool-making behaviors emerged earlier among australopiths. This extends the timeline of technological origins by over 700,000 years, implying a gradual evolution of cognitive capacities rather than a abrupt Homo-linked innovation, and underscores the role of East African Pliocene environments in fostering such adaptations. These discoveries bridge the gap to the more standardized Oldowan tradition, highlighting a phase of opportunistic, less refined lithic exploitation.^[54]^[1]

Major Archaeological Sites

African Discoveries

Africa stands as the epicenter of Lower Paleolithic developments, yielding the earliest evidence of stone tool use, hominin fossils, and associated behaviors spanning from approximately 3.3 million years ago to around 300,000 years ago. This chronological range encompasses pre-Oldowan artifacts predating the genus Homo and extends through the late Acheulean, marking the transition toward more advanced technologies. Discoveries from key sites illustrate the co-occurrence of tools and hominin remains, providing insights into early foraging, butchery, and resource exploitation strategies. The Lomekwi 3 site in West Turkana, Kenya, represents the oldest known stone tools in Africa, dated to 3.3 million years ago and classified as pre-Oldowan due to their crude, percussive forms distinct from later Oldowan choppers. These artifacts, including anvils, cores, and flakes, suggest intentional knapping by an unidentified hominin, possibly Australopithecus or Kenyanthropus, in a wooded lakeshore environment. No direct hominin fossils were found in association, but the site's age pushes back the origins of lithic technology by over 700,000 years relative to traditional Oldowan estimates. Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania serves as the type-site for the Oldowan tradition, with layers from Beds I and II dated to about 1.8 million years ago containing Homo habilis fossils such as OH 7 and OH 24, alongside simple flake tools and evidence of animal butchery.^[55]^[56] Cut marks on proboscidean bones from sites like HWK EE indicate systematic carcass processing, including defleshing and marrow extraction, by early Homo or possibly Paranthropus boisei.^[56] These findings highlight Olduvai's role in demonstrating the integration of tool use with scavenging or hunting behaviors in a dynamic rift valley landscape. Further east, the Koobi Fora region along the shores of Lake Turkana in Kenya has produced Acheulean handaxes and cleavers dated to approximately 1.6–1.5 million years ago, co-occurring with Homo erectus remains like the cranium KNM-ER 3733.^[57]^[58] Assemblages from the Okote Member show large cutting tools made from basalt and other volcanics, alongside cut-marked bones evidencing hominin access to medium-to-large mammals.^[59] Additionally, the Namorotukunan site within the Koobi Fora Formation has yielded Oldowan tools dated to 2.75–2.45 million years ago, demonstrating prolonged technological stability in response to arid conditions and wildfires.^[39] This site underscores the emergence of symmetrical bifacial technology, likely by H. erectus, in fluvial and lakeside settings. In South Africa, the cave systems of Sterkfontein and Swartkrans in the Cradle of Humankind have yielded Oldowan-like tools and Paranthropus robustus fossils from deposits aged 2.0 to 1.0 million years ago. At Swartkrans, Member 3 contains burned bones and ash concentrations interpreted as evidence of controlled fire use, potentially by P. robustus or early Homo, dating to around 1.0 million years ago. Sterkfontein's Member 4 layers include quartzite tools associated with Australopithecus africanus and Homo remains, suggesting diverse hominin occupations in karstic environments. More recent excavations at Olorgesailie in southern Kenya reveal behavioral complexity in the Acheulean, with sites dated to 1.2 million years ago showing long-distance transport of obsidian and other raw materials over tens of kilometers, indicating planned foraging networks.^[60] These finds, including tossed stone caches, reflect adaptive responses to environmental shifts in the rift valley basin.^[60]

Eurasian Discoveries

The Dmanisi site in Georgia represents one of the earliest known instances of hominin occupation outside Africa, dating to approximately 1.8 million years ago, where fossils attributed to Homo erectus were found alongside primitive Oldowan-style stone tools in a temperate woodland environment.^[61] These discoveries illustrate the initial dispersal of H. erectus into Eurasia, adapting to cooler, more variable climates compared to African origins.^[62] Recent excavations nearby at Orozmani have extended this record to around 1.77–1.84 million years ago, confirming the use of both Oldowan and early Acheulean technologies by early H. erectus at higher altitudes.^[62] In western Europe, the Atapuerca complex in Spain provides critical evidence of hominin presence during the Early Pleistocene, with the Sima del Elefante site yielding artifacts dated to about 1.2 million years ago, including early stone tools associated with Homo erectus-like remains in a karstic cave setting.^[63] Further down the sequence, Gran Dolina, particularly level TD6 dated to around 800,000 years ago, has produced fossils of Homo antecessor alongside Mode 1 tools such as choppers and flakes and evidence of systematic butchery, indicating advanced behavioral adaptations such as possible cannibalism and diverse resource exploitation in a forested landscape.^[64] These sites highlight the progression of tool technologies and hominin evolution in Mediterranean Europe.^[65] The Boxgrove site in southern England, dated to approximately 500,000 years ago, exemplifies cold-climate adaptations during Marine Isotope Stage 13, featuring well-preserved Acheulean handaxes used for butchering large herbivores like horses, as evidenced by cut-marked bones and knapping debris in a lakeside context.^[66] Footprints and refitting studies suggest organized group activities, underscoring hunting strategies in periglacial environments.^[67] In the Levant, Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel, dated to 780,000 years ago, reveals a rich Acheulean assemblage including wooden tools such as polished planks for structural or processing purposes, alongside evidence of fish processing and low-temperature cooking near hearths, as indicated by pharyngeal teeth and size-strain analysis of fish bones showing diverse dietary habits in a lakeside habitat.^[68]^[69] Preservation of Lower Paleolithic sites in Eurasia is challenged by repeated glacial cycles, which caused extensive erosion and sediment reworking, particularly in northern and central Europe where loess deposits often bury or obscure interglacial occupations.^[70] Electron spin resonance (ESR) dating on tooth enamel has been essential for establishing chronologies at such sites, providing reliable ages for fossils and associated tools where other methods like radiocarbon are inapplicable, though it requires careful consideration of uranium uptake models.^[71]

Regional Variations

Africa

Africa served as the primary cradle for the evolution of the Oldowan and Acheulean tool traditions during the Lower Paleolithic, with the Oldowan emerging around 2.6 million years ago and the Acheulean following approximately 1.7 million years ago, primarily in East Africa.^[62] These technologies exhibited remarkable technological stasis for much of the period, with minimal changes in tool forms and production methods persisting until about 500,000 years ago, reflecting stable adaptive strategies among early hominins such as Homo erectus.^[41] This continuity underscores Africa's central role in the foundational developments of stone tool use, where simple flaking techniques in the Oldowan gave way to more standardized bifacial shaping in the Acheulean without significant regional divergence until later phases.^[72] Environmental changes, particularly the expansion of savannas following 2.5 million years ago, profoundly influenced hominin mobility and resource exploitation across the continent.^[73] This shift from forested to open grassland landscapes, driven by global cooling and aridification, prompted adaptations in foraging patterns and tool transport, enabling hominins to access dispersed resources like scavenged meat and tubers over larger territories.^[74] In East Africa, for instance, paleoclimate records indicate that these habitat transformations coincided with the initial spread of Oldowan tools, as seen briefly at sites like Olduvai Gorge.^[75] Regional variations in Lower Paleolithic adaptations are evident, with North Africa displaying early evidence of Acheulean technologies around 1.8 million years ago at sites like Ain Hanech in Algeria, suggesting potential connections to broader technological dispersals.^[76] In contrast, South Africa features prominent cave occupations during the Acheulean, such as Wonderwerk Cave, where stratified deposits reveal repeated use of sheltered environments for tool production and possible fire-related activities starting around 1 million years ago.^[28] These differences highlight localized responses to diverse ecosystems, from coastal and karstic settings in the south to semi-arid basins in the north. Climate modeling further links arid phases, such as those intensifying after 500,000 years ago, to refinements in tool morphology, including smaller Acheulean handaxes adapted to scarcer resources amid progressive drying in East Africa.^[77] The Acheulean tradition persisted in Africa until approximately 300,000 years ago, gradually overlapping with the emergence of the Middle Stone Age, marked by more diverse and prepared-core technologies.^[78]

Europe and Western Asia

The earliest evidence of hominin dispersal into Europe and Western Asia during the Lower Paleolithic dates to approximately 1.8 million years ago, with initial arrivals occurring via the Levantine corridor from Africa, as indicated by Oldowan-like (Mode 1) tool assemblages at sites such as Dmanisi in the Caucasus region.^[79] These early migrants, likely Homo erectus, produced simple flake tools and choppers from local pebble sources, often in open-air settings that suggest opportunistic exploitation of riverine and lacustrine environments along migration routes.^[80] Further westward expansion into Europe proper is evidenced by Mode 1 industries at sites like Barranc de la Boella in Spain, dated to around 1.2 million years ago, where open-air occupations reveal core-and-flake technologies adapted to Mediterranean woodlands and grasslands.^[81] The Acheulean tradition became dominant in Europe and Western Asia starting around 700,000 years ago, marking a technological shift toward more refined bifacial handaxes and cleavers that facilitated processing of larger game and diverse raw materials.^[82] This expansion is exemplified by the La Noira site in France, where early Acheulean assemblages include shaped flakes and cores indicative of prolonged occupation during interglacial periods.^[83] Regional variations emerged, particularly the Micoquian facies in Central Europe, characterized by asymmetrical bifaces with transverse edges and foliates, as seen at sites like Maastricht-Belvédère in the Netherlands, reflecting localized adaptations to flint-rich loess landscapes around 500,000–300,000 years ago.^[84] In Western Asia, Acheulean sites such as Ubeidiya in Israel demonstrate continuity with African origins, featuring large cutting tools and evidence of systematic butchery by 1.5 million years ago.^[85] Hominin adaptations in these regions were shaped by fluctuating Pleistocene climates, with innovations in hunting and foraging evident in cold-steppe environments. At Schöningen in Germany, wooden spears and throwing sticks dated to approximately 200,000 years ago provide the earliest direct evidence of systematic big-game hunting, including horses and elephants, using thrusting and projectile weapons crafted from spruce and pine.^[86] Coastal sites further highlight versatile resource use, such as shellfish collection at Le Vallonnet in France around 400,000 years ago, where marine mollusks were gathered alongside Acheulean tools, indicating exploitation of intertidal zones during warmer interstadials.^[87] These behaviors, associated with Homo heidelbergensis in later phases, underscore mobility and ecological flexibility in temperate to periglacial settings.^[88] Archaeological records reveal significant gaps in occupation, particularly an absence of sites in Western Europe between 1.0 and 0.8 million years ago, attributed to severe glacial maxima that rendered landscapes uninhabitable due to expanded ice sheets and aridification.^[89] Repopulation occurred post-Marine Isotope Stage 16 (around 650,000–620,000 years ago), coinciding with climatic amelioration that enabled renewed Acheulean dispersals, as documented at Notarchirico in Italy.^[90] Recent excavations in the 2020s at Ubeidiya have refined understandings of early behaviors, uncovering phytoliths and use-wear on tools suggestive of plant processing for food and fiber by 1.5 million years ago, alongside potential early fire traces that indicate controlled use for cooking or warmth in rift valley settings.^[91]

Eastern Asia and Beyond

The earliest evidence of hominin occupation in Eastern Asia comes from the Shangchen site in the southern Chinese Loess Plateau, where stone flakes and cores dating to approximately 2.1 million years ago were discovered embedded in loess deposits.^[92] These artifacts, consisting of simple Mode 1 tools such as flakes and choppers produced through direct percussion, predate the Dmanisi site in Georgia by about 300,000 years and indicate an early dispersal of hominins into the region. The site's 17 artifact layers span from 2.12 to 1.26 million years ago, suggesting intermittent occupation over nearly 800,000 years in a landscape of aeolian sediments and paleosols.^[92] Lower Paleolithic assemblages across Eastern Asia are predominantly characterized by Mode 1 technologies, featuring crude flakes, choppers, and scrapers made from local quartz, sandstone, or river pebbles, without the bifacial handaxes typical of the Acheulean tradition elsewhere. This simplicity is evident at sites like Nihewan Basin in northern China, where tools from layers dated to 1.6–1.0 million years ago show basic flaking techniques adapted to abundant raw materials.^[93] Inferences of bamboo and wood use stem from experimental replicative studies demonstrating that Mode 1 tools could effectively process these perishable materials, as evidenced by characteristic use-wear patterns like polish and striations on flake edges. Such adaptations likely compensated for the scarcity of durable stone tools in forested settings, with recent discoveries of 300,000-year-old wooden implements at Gantangqing in southwest China underscoring the role of organic materials in daily activities like digging or splitting.^[94] Hominin adaptations in Eastern Asia were shaped by tropical monsoon climates, which supported dense vegetation and seasonal flooding, prompting a heavy reliance on ephemeral resources like bamboo for tools, shelters, and food processing. Homo erectus populations, identified through fossils at sites like Zhoukoudian (Beijing) and Sangiran (Java), persisted in these environments until at least 110,000 years ago, exploiting diverse faunal resources including deer and elephants while navigating humid, vegetated terrains.^[25] Evidence from Java indicates their survival into the late Middle Pleistocene, with dietary isotopes suggesting a broad omnivorous strategy suited to fluctuating monsoon patterns. Evidence beyond mainland Eastern Asia is limited but includes the Pacific islands, where stone tools from the So'a Basin on Flores, Indonesia, dated to around 1 million years ago, are associated with early hominins possibly ancestral to Homo floresiensis.^[95] These Mode 1 flakes and cores, found in volcanic sediments, reflect basic knapping but raise debates about their classification within the Lower Paleolithic, given the later emergence of H. floresiensis around 100,000 years ago.^[96] Research in the region faces significant challenges, including poor preservation due to erosion, high humidity, and sediment reworking, which complicate artifact attribution and dating. Recent optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) studies have refined timelines, confirming hominin presence on Java at approximately 1.6 million years ago through analysis of quartz grains in stratified deposits at Sangiran. Ongoing 2023–2025 investigations using OSL and other methods continue to address these gaps, particularly in island Southeast Asia, where erosion has obscured early coastal sites.^[97]

Transition to Middle Paleolithic

Technological Transitions

The late Acheulean period witnessed significant refinements in stone tool production, particularly the increased adoption of the Levallois technique, which involved preparing cores to produce flakes of predetermined shape and size. This method, characterized by the systematic reduction of cores to create a convex striking platform and a prepared back, emerged around 400,000 years ago in both Africa and Europe, representing a key innovation over earlier handaxe-dominated assemblages. In Africa, evidence from the Kapthurin Formation in Kenya dates Levallois flakes to between 509,000 and 284,000 years ago, highlighting its deep roots within Acheulean traditions. Similarly, in Europe and the southern Caucasus, early Levallois-like technologies appear in late Acheulean contexts around the same timeframe, facilitating more efficient and versatile tool forms. Transitional industries such as the Fauresmith in southern Africa and the Sangoan in central and eastern Africa exemplify the blending of Acheulean bifacial techniques with emerging prepared-core methods. The Fauresmith, dated to approximately 500,000–300,000 years ago at sites like Kathu Pan, features smaller, more refined handaxes, triangular points, and blades produced via proto-Levallois reduction, bridging the gap to Middle Stone Age flake-based technologies. The Sangoan, also spanning the later Early Stone Age into the transition, includes core-axes and smaller tools adapted for woodworking and heavy-duty tasks, incorporating elements of flake preparation that foreshadow Levallois standardization. These industries reflect a gradual shift toward greater tool diversity and efficiency without fully abandoning bifacial forms. Metrics of technological change during this transition include improved tool standardization, as evidenced by more consistent flake dimensions; for instance, length-to-width ratios in Levallois flakes from transitional assemblages show greater uniformity compared to earlier Acheulean flakes in some African sites, indicating enhanced planning and control in production. Hafting evidence, identified through residue analysis of tool surfaces, further marks this period, with plant resins and animal adhesives detected on points and scrapers from late Acheulean and early Middle Paleolithic contexts around 300,000–200,000 years ago in Africa and Eurasia, suggesting composite tools for improved functionality. These changes underscore a move toward more specialized and efficient lithic technologies. The drivers of these technological shifts are attributed to cognitive advancements in Homo heidelbergensis, enabling more abstract planning in core preparation, alongside population pressures that likely encouraged innovation for resource exploitation. Globally, the transition occurred earlier in Africa, with widespread Levallois and transitional industries by approximately 300,000 years ago, compared to Asia, where similar developments, such as prepared-core technologies, are documented as early as around 385,000 years ago in South Asia, for example at Attirampakkam, India.^[98]

Environmental and Cultural Shifts

The Mid-Pleistocene Revolution, occurring between approximately 1.25 million and 700,000 years ago, introduced dominant 100,000-year glacial-interglacial cycles, including the intense cold stadial of Marine Isotope Stage 12 around 478,000–424,000 years ago, which profoundly altered global environments. These cycles amplified aridity in many regions, leading to pronounced landscape shifts such as the expansion of open savannas and steppes interspersed with fragmented wooded refugia, creating heterogeneous habitat mosaics that challenged hominin foraging strategies and facilitated dispersals across Eurasia.^[99] Ecologically, this climatic instability contributed to episodic megafauna extinctions, particularly of large herbivores like straight-tusked elephants and giant deer, which disrupted food webs and increased resource unpredictability across African and Eurasian landscapes. In response, hominins developed more diversified subsistence economies, incorporating a broader range of exploitable resources; for instance, evidence from sites like Klasies River Mouth in South Africa indicates early experimentation with marine resources, including shellfish and possibly fishing by around 115,000 years ago, reflecting adaptive flexibility amid fluctuating availability of terrestrial game.^[100] Culturally, these environmental pressures coincided with evidence of expanded social networks, as seen in the long-distance transport of stone artifacts exceeding 100 km, such as obsidian from sources in the Caucasus to Middle Paleolithic sites, suggesting increased inter-group exchanges and cooperation essential for survival in variable habitats. Additionally, possible indications of ritual behavior emerge at Sima de los Huesos in Spain, where over 28 individuals dated to about 430,000 years ago were deliberately deposited in a deep chamber, potentially representing early mortuary practices linked to Homo heidelbergensis.^[60] The transition to the Middle Paleolithic exhibited regional asynchrony, with Africa's Middle Stone Age emerging by around 300,000 years ago at sites like Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, characterized by advanced Levallois techniques, while Europe's Mousterian industry, associated with Neanderthals, appeared by approximately 250,000 years ago in contexts like La Ferrassie, France. In Asia, the transition is later and more variable, with Levallois technologies appearing around 300,000 years ago in some regions like China, though earlier in South Asia. This variability underscores how local environmental conditions modulated the pace of cultural change.^[101] Recent paleoclimate modeling from 2024 highlights how orbital eccentricity cycles, varying Earth's axial tilt and precession, drove periodic climate oscillations that correlated with bursts of hominin innovation, such as refined toolkits and symbolic behaviors, by synchronizing ecological opportunities across hemispheres during the late Lower Paleolithic.^[102]

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The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive update of the collection of large shaped tools and to assess its significance in the framework of the ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[83]
The origin of early Acheulean expansion in Europe 700 ka ago
Aug 14, 2020 · Over the past decade, fieldwork has shown that elaborate biface production appeared suddenly around 700 ka ago in the Northwest of Europe.Missing: 700000 Micoquian
[84]
https://www.persee.fr/doc/mcarh_1220-5222_2021_sup_1_1_2203
[85]
At the onset of the Micoquian in Central Europe - Persée
This new cultural tradition is named Micoquian, and is characterized by a broad range of asymmetric backed bifaces, foliate artefacts and bifacial scrapers.Missing: 700000 | Show results with:700000
[86]
The Lower and Middle Paleolithic of the Southern Levant (One)
The Early Lower Paleolithic/Early Acheulian. The discovery of hominin occupation in the cave at Dmanisi in the Caucasus in Georgia, dated to about 1.8 million ...
[87]
The wooden artifacts from Schöningen's Spear Horizon and ... - PNAS
Apr 1, 2024 · Zohar et al., Evidence for the cooking of fish 780,000 years ago at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 6, 2016–2028 (2022). Go ...
[88]
Early humans and the sea in Europe: Evidence of shellfish ...
In the Palaeolithic in Western Europe, the earliest, most cited examples for the presence of shellfish and other marine remains are the sites of Le Vallonnet ( ...
[89]
The emergence of the Acheulian in Europe – A look from the east
Aug 6, 2025 · After nearly 150 years of research, many aspects of the emergence of the Acheulian techno-complex in Europe are still under debate.
[90]
[PDF] The first human settlements out africa into Europe - ScienceDirect.com
evidence of Acheulian occupation during glacial MIS 16 at Notarchirico (Venosa, Basilicata,. 813. Italy). Journal of Quaternary Science, 30, 639-650. 814.
[91]
The origin of early Acheulean expansion in Europe 700 ka ago
Aug 14, 2020 · Notarchirico (Southern Italy) has yielded the earliest evidence of Acheulean settlement in Italy and four older occupation levels have ...<|separator|>
[92]
Volume 134 Year 2022 'Ubeidiya
Nov 27, 2022 · In October 2021, a short excavation was conducted at the site of 'Ubeidiya (License No. Z-10/2021; map ref. 252307–659/732701–999). The ...Missing: fire 1.5 2020s
[93]
The Paleolithic in the Nihewan Basin, China: Evolutionary history of ...
Dec 20, 2019 · The Nihewan Basin of China preserves one of the most important successions of Paleolithic archeological sites in Eurasia.
[94]
300,000-year-old wooden tools from Gantangqing, southwest China
Jul 3, 2025 · This discovery suggests that wooden implements might have played an important role in hominin survival and adaptation in Middle Pleistocene East ...
[95]
Stone technology at the Middle Pleistocene site of Mata Menge ...
The stone technology from Mata Menge on Flores, Indonesia, is described, providing the first detailed analysis of the largest stone artefact assemblage from ...Missing: Paleolithic | Show results with:Paleolithic
[96]
Homo floresiensis: the real-life 'hobbit'? | Natural History Museum
Stone tools found at the Wolo Sege site on Flores indicate that an early human species was present on Flores about one million years ago. In addition, fragments ...
[97]
Abrupt onset of intensive human occupation 44000 years ago on the ...
May 22, 2024 · OSL dating. Optical dating provides a means of determining burial ages for sediments—and by association the artefacts and fossils encased ...<|separator|>
[98]
Mid-Pleistocene aridity and landscape shifts promoted Palearctic ...
Nov 27, 2024 · Our results indicate that enhanced aridity and pronounced landscape shifts promoted Palearctic hominin dispersals during the Mid-Pleistocene, ...
[99]
Ecological consequences of Late Quaternary extinctions of megafauna
Mar 18, 2009 · Large herbivorous vertebrates have strong interactions with vegetation, affecting the structure, composition and dynamics of plant communities in many ways.
[100]
When to generalise and when to specialise? Climate change and ...
Sourcing Oldowan and Acheulean stone tools in Eastern Africa: aims, methods, challenges, and state of knowledge ... tool technology in the early Acheulean. Proc.