Olduvai Gorge: Earliest Stone Tool Technology
c. 2.0-1.7 million BCE · Prehistoric
Around 2 million years ago at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, early hominins created stone tools classified as Oldowan industry. These tools, including sharp-edged flakes and cobble choppers, were made by striking one stone against another. Toolmakers selected specific materials—quartzite for cutting edges and basalt for durability—demonstrating technological decision-making. The tools were used for processing animal carcasses and plant materials. Excavations by Mary and Louis Leakey revealed these manufacturing techniques, which formed the foundation for subsequent technological developments.
Key Figures
Mary LeakeyLouis Leakey
Locations
Olduvai Gorge
Topics
technologytoolshuman evolutionstone toolsLower Paleolithic
Connected Events — 3 Connections
Oldowan stone tool technology provided Homo erectus with the portable toolkit necessary for processing diverse food sources across different environments, enabling the first successful hominin migration out of Africa Homo erectus: First Migration Out of Africa
Homo habilis specimens at Olduvai Gorge were directly associated with Oldowan stone tools establishing the link between this species and systematic tool manufacture Homo habilis Classification
Laetoli is 45 km south of Olduvai Gorge, where later hominin tool technology was found Laetoli Hominin Footprint Trails Excavated
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