There are still a lot of grey areas is the evolution and dispersion of the early man. In Turkey, geologists stumbled upon a piece of stone tool that could tell more about the movement and activities of the early man in that part of the world than previously known.
The stone tool, believed to have been created some 1.2 million years ago, becomes the oldest made-made tool to be discovered in the country. The tool was covered by sheer lack by a team of Turkish, English and Dutch researchers. The team discovered the stone tool among river deposits.
Linked to Homo erectus
So far, the tone tool has been linked to Homo erectus. It is believed that Homo erectus may have started migrating to the Eurasia region from Africa about 2 million years ago. Therefore, the discovery of the 1.2-million-year old stone in Turkey appears to reinforce the evidence that early man activities took place in the region.
The stone tool measures about 5.6 cm by 4.4 cm and it is made from quartz crystal. Although some other Homo erectus tools have been discovered in Asia, most of the stone tool finds are much younger compared to the latest one.
The joint team of geologist that discovered the 1.2-million-year old artifact in Turkey also stumbled on some more sophisticated tools, stone axes, which date back some 1.8 million years.
According to the Royal Holloway University of London’s Danielle Schreve, the significant of the stone tool find in Turkey is not much about the artifact, but the proof of early human activity in the region. It is currently not clear what use Homo erectus had for the 1.2-million-year old stone tool. However, it can be logically concluded that the tool was used to cut meat, hides or plant materials, according to Schreve.
Worked by man
As to whether the stone tool was worked by man, there seem to be features on the artifact that suggests it was made-made rather than a result of a natural process. However, Darrel Maddy of Newcastle University said that geologists don’t actually deal in certainties.