PALEOLITHIC TOOLS - ANCIENT HISTORY
News: Palaeolithic
tool discovery adds to understanding of human settlements in Telangana
What's in the news?
● The
recent floods in the Mulugu district of Telangana
have led to a fresh discovery of paleolithic quartzite tools.
● The
tools or hand axes were found in the sand bed of a stream that dried up after
the flood.
● The
tools got exposed as the stream dried up.
Key takeaways:
● The
new discovery pushes back the understanding about human habitations in
Telangana and central India.
Palaeolithic Tools:
Age:
● The
earliest stone tool making developed by at
least 2.6 million years ago.
● The
Early Stone Age includes the most basic stone toolkits made by early humans.
● The
Early Stone Age in Africa is equivalent to what is called the Lower Paleolithic in Europe and Asia.
○ The Lower Paleolithic marks the earliest
phase of the Paleolithic Age.
Features:
●
During this period, our ancient ancestors crafted simple stone tools, such as hand axes and choppers.
●
These tools were made from large and small scrapers, hammer stones, choppers, awls, etc.
●
Hand axes and cleavers were the typical tools of these
early hunters and food-gatherers.
●
Tools used in the Lower Paleolithic era were mainly
cleavers, choppers, and hand axes.
Significance:
●
These tools served essential purposes, including hunting, cutting, and digging, enabling
early humans to adapt and survive in their environment.