Discovery of 2.5M-year-old stone tools in Kenya shows primitive humans could invent and produce

By Zeynep Karte Oran and Kanyshai Butun

ISTANBUL (AA) – Stone tools dating back some 2.5 million years were found in Kenya during archaeological excavations, according to new research findings published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

According to the research, the discovery of stone tools shows that the primitive human species could invent and produce.

Archeologists discovered more than 1,300 tools made of chipped and shaped stone during 10 years of research at the Namorotukunan Archaeological Site located near Turkana Gölü in northwestern Kenya.

Scientists suggested that the tools functioned as multi-purpose tools, similar to a Swiss army knife, and enhanced their ability to adapt to environmental changes and harsh climatic conditions.

"We are faced with a truly incredible level of craftsmanship. These people were extremely careful observers. They knew how to select the most suitable stones. Some of the tools are so sharp that they could cut our hands," said Dan Palcu Rolier of the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, senior geoscientist on the research team, also underlining the "extraordinary mastery" of the tools.