Archaeologists have identified a prehistoric hammer made from elephant bone that dates back about 500,000 years. The object, discovered in southern England, is the oldest elephant bone tool ever discovered in Europe.
Researchers from UCL and the Natural History Museum have analyzed rare artifacts that provide an astonishing demonstration of the intelligence and technological capabilities of our early human ancestors. Their discovery is scientific progress.
This tool was probably an early Neanderthal. A man from Heidelberg. Rather than functioning as a heavy hammer, it served as a softer striking tool used to repair or sharpen stone hatchets and other bladed tools with worn blades.
Lead author Simon Parfitt, UCL Institute of Archaeology, Natural History Museum Scientific Associate, said: “This amazing discovery shows the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our ancient ancestors, who had a deep knowledge of the local materials around them. “They not only had it, but they also had a sophisticated understanding of how to make highly refined stone tools. Elephant bone would have been a rare but extremely useful resource, and it is likely that it was a tool of considerable value.”
Elephant bone tools from 500,000 years ago
The fossilized object has an approximately triangular shape. Measures approximately 11 cm long, 6 cm wide, and 3 cm thick. Traces across its surface indicate that early humans intentionally shaped it for use as a tool.
Most of the fragments are made up of cortical bone, a thick, dense tissue that forms the hard outer layer of the bone. Its unusual thickness indicates that it came from either an elephant or a mammoth. But because so little of the original bone remains, researchers are unable to determine the exact animal species or what part of the skeleton it came from.
The debris was first recovered in the early 1990s. At the time, researchers did not recognize it as a tool. Its true purpose was only revealed after scientists recently conducted a more detailed examination of items recovered from the site.
Microscopic clues reveal its purpose
The research team used 3D scanning technology and electron microscopy to study the bones. Their analysis revealed characteristic cuts, impact damage, and other marks indicating that the object had been repeatedly used as a hammer.
Small pieces of flint were also found inside the trace. These fragments provided strong evidence that the bones were used to repeatedly hammer, reshape, and maintain stone tools.
Bone is softer than stone, allowing toolmakers to work more precisely without causing undue damage. Early humans often used bone tools to sharpen the edges of hatchets and tools used to slaughter animals.
The researchers concluded that the object likely functioned as a “retoucher.” Retouchers are used to tap worn stone tool blades to knock off small pieces and restore the intended shape and cutting edge. This method of shaping stone is known as “knapping”.
Elephant bones would have been particularly suitable for this task. Its dense outer layer was harder and more durable than many other animal bones available in the region, allowing it to withstand repeated impacts.
Rare and valuable prehistoric resources
Elephants and mammoths were not common in prehistoric southern England. The decision to collect, preserve and mold such rare materials provides evidence of the resourcefulness and mental capacity of the early humans who lived there.
They seem to have understood that elephant bones had advantages over more widely available animal bones. Rather than treat it as waste, they recognized its value and preserved it for a special purpose.
The use of retouchers indicates a relatively sophisticated level of technology. These tools allowed early humans to create and maintain stone tools that were more carefully shaped and complex than those made by other prehistoric peoples who lived at the same time.
“Our ancient ancestors were sophisticated in the use of tools. Collecting and shaping elephant bone fragments, and using them multiple times to shape and sharpen stone tools, demonstrates a high level of complex thinking and abstract thinking. They were resourceful in collecting available materials and were well versed in how to best use them,” said co-author Dr. Sylvia Bello, a Merritt researcher at the Natural History Museum.
box grove ruins
This elephant bone tool was excavated from the archaeological site Boxgrove near Chichester, West Sussex, England. Boxgrove has been extensively excavated, and researchers have discovered many tools made of flint, bone, and horn there.
However, until now, no tools made from elephant bones have been found at the site.
Scientists don’t know whether early humans hunted the animals or collected bones from already-dead carcasses. The damage and deformation of the artifact suggests that the bone was still relatively fresh at the time it was shaped and used.
A very rare European discovery
Elephant bone tools have previously been discovered in Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge, with some examples dating back 1.5 million years.
However, the discovery of ancient elephant bone tools is extremely rare in Europe. Only a few are known from before 43,000 years ago, when modern humans (Homo sapiens) began spreading across the continent and producing large quantities of ivory and elephant bone tools, art, and buildings.
Prior to this discovery, no European elephant bone tools were known to be older than about 450,000 years. Most of these early examples were also found further south in areas with warmer climates.
The Boxgrove artifacts therefore expand the known history and geographic range of elephant bone technology in Europe. It has also been revealed that hundreds of thousands of years ago, early humans in Britain carefully selected rare materials and used them to manufacture and maintain highly sophisticated tools.
This research was supported by English Heritage, UCL and the Kaleva Foundation.
