Archaeologists have discovered a prehistoric elephant bone hammer in southern England that dates back nearly 500,000 years. The artifact, found at the Boxgrove archaeological site, is the oldest known elephant bone tool ever discovered in Europe.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) and the Natural History Museum, London, analyzed the rare artifact, revealing new insights into the intelligence, creativity and technical skills of early human ancestors. Their findings were published in Science Advances.
The tool was likely made by early Neanderthals or Homo heidelbergensis. Rather than functioning as a heavy-duty hammer, it was probably used as a softer striking tool to repair, sharpen and reshape stone handaxes and other cutting tools after their edges became worn.
Lead author Simon Parfitt, of the UCL Institute of Archaeology and a Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum, said: “This remarkable discovery showcases the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our ancient ancestors. They possessed not only a deep knowledge of the local materials around them, but also a sophisticated understanding of how to craft highly refined stone tools. Elephant bone would have been a rare but highly useful resource, and it’s likely this was a tool of considerable value.”
A Nearly 500,000-Year-Old Elephant Bone Tool
The fossilized elephant bone tool has a roughly triangular shape. It measures about 11 centimeters long, six centimeters wide and three centimeters thick. Marks across its surface indicate that early humans deliberately shaped the fragment for use as a tool.
Most of the artifact is made from cortical bone, the dense outer layer that forms the hard surface of a skeleton. Its unusual thickness suggests that it came from an elephant or mammoth. However, too little of the original bone remains for researchers to identify the exact species or determine which part of the skeleton it came from.
The fragment was first recovered during the early 1990s, but researchers did not initially recognize it as a tool. Its purpose became clear only after scientists conducted a detailed reexamination of artifacts recovered from the Boxgrove site.
Microscopic Evidence Reveals How the Tool Was Used
The research team examined the bone using 3D scanning technology and electron microscopy. Their analysis identified distinctive notches, impact damage and other markings consistent with repeated use as a hammer.
Small fragments of flint were also discovered embedded in the marks. These pieces provided strong evidence that the elephant bone tool had been used repeatedly to strike, reshape and maintain stone tools.
Because bone is softer than stone, it enables toolmakers to work more precisely while reducing the risk of damaging the stone. Early humans likely used bone implements to sharpen the cutting edges of handaxes and tools used for butchering animals.
Researchers concluded that the artifact was probably a “retoucher.” A retoucher is used to strike the edge of a worn stone tool, removing small flakes and restoring its shape and cutting edge. This process of shaping stone is known as “knapping.”
Elephant bone was particularly well suited to this task. Its dense outer layer was harder and more durable than the bones of many other animals available in prehistoric southern England, allowing it to withstand repeated impacts.
A Rare and Valuable Prehistoric Material
Elephants and mammoths were uncommon in prehistoric southern England. The decision to collect, preserve and shape such a rare material demonstrates the resourcefulness and cognitive abilities of the early humans who lived in the region.
These early toolmakers appear to have recognized that elephant bone offered advantages over more commonly available animal bones. Rather than treating the fragment as waste, they identified its value and preserved it for a specialized purpose.
The use of an elephant bone retoucher also points to an advanced level of prehistoric technology. The tool enabled early humans to produce and maintain carefully shaped stone implements that were more complex than those made by some other populations living during the same period.
Co-author Dr. Silvia Bello, Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum, said: “Our ancient ancestors were sophisticated in their use of tools. Collecting and shaping an elephant bone fragment and then using it on multiple occasions to shape and sharpen stone tools shows an advanced level of complex thinking and abstract thought. They were resourceful gatherers of available materials, and savvy about how best to use them.”
The Boxgrove Archaeological Site in England
The prehistoric elephant bone tool was discovered at Boxgrove, an archaeological site near Chichester in West Sussex, England. Extensive excavations at Boxgrove have uncovered numerous tools made from flint, bone and antler.
Until this discovery, however, researchers had not identified an elephant bone tool at the site.
Scientists do not know whether early humans hunted the animal or collected its bones from a carcass that had already died. Damage and deformation on the artifact suggest that the bone was still relatively fresh when it was shaped and used.
An Exceptionally Rare European Discovery
Elephant bone tools have previously been found at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, with some examples dating back as far as 1.5 million years.
In Europe, ancient elephant bone tools are extremely rare. Only a small number are known from before 43,000 years ago, when modern humans (Homo sapiens) began spreading across the continent and producing larger quantities of ivory and elephant bone tools, artwork and structures.
Before the Boxgrove discovery, no elephant bone tool in Europe was known to be older than approximately 450,000 years. Most of those early examples were also found much farther south, in regions with warmer climates.
The Boxgrove artifact expands the known history and geographical range of elephant bone technology in Europe. It also shows that early humans in Britain carefully selected rare materials and used them to create and maintain sophisticated tools nearly half a million years ago.
The research was supported by English Heritage, UCL and the Calleva Foundation.
Source: www.sciencedaily.com