The discovery, which the authors referred to as “a new beginning to the known archaeological record,” was made 700,000 years before the Oldowan toolkit.
When the first ancient items were discovered in 2011, archeological excavations at a location known as Lomekwi 3 got underway.
Archaeological excavations resumed in 2012. According to the study, many more discoveries were made at this time, such as fossils and stone tools. A total of 149 objects were removed from the site.
The study found that sharp stone flakes were among the stone tools found.
The age of the stone tools was determined to be 3.3 million years using dating of the surrounding minerals and volcanic ash.
Although there are many possibilities, it is unclear who exactly created these stone objects, which predate the genus Homo.
Near the excavation site of the Lomekwi 3 artifacts, a hominid known as Kenyanthropus platyops was discovered. According to the news, Dr. Nick Taylor of the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and the National Centre of Scientific Research in France stated that the hominin was there when the tools were being created.
