Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have recreated Stone Age tools to gain fresh insights into how early humans used them during the Paleolithic era. The study appears in the Journal of Archaeological Science, a respected scientific publication focused on archaeological methods and findings.
Scholars have long believed that polished stone tools were crafted to improve wood processing roughly ten thousand years ago. Yet evidence from excavations suggests that some polished stone axes were in use much earlier, with dates extending from about 60,000 to 30,000 years ago. By reconstructing tools from the Early Upper Paleolithic period, around 38,000 years ago, the team explored manufacturing techniques available to people at that time and tested how these implements performed in real-world tasks.
In controlled experiments, the researchers employed the replicated axes to perform tasks such as felling small trees, dismembering animal carcasses, and preparing animal skins. After the tests concluded, experts examined the edges for distinctive wear patterns and compared these marks with those found on ancient tools. The analysis revealed wear and microcracks on the blades consistent with chopping wood, supporting the interpretation that woodworking played a significant role in daily life much earlier than some archaeologists had proposed.
These findings align with a broader view of early technology as a versatile toolkit, used to meet a range of needs from shelter construction to resource processing. The evidence from edge damage and use-wear patterns provides tangible links between laboratory replication and field discoveries, offering a more nuanced picture of how prehistoric communities organized tasks and what materials they relied upon to sustain their livelihoods.
Additionally, the research contributes to ongoing discussions about the longevity and adaptability of human toolmaking traditions. By pushing the timeline for when polished stone tools were employed for wood processing, the study invites reevaluation of how early groups organized their economies and how technical knowledge was transmitted across generations. The work demonstrates the value of combining experimental archaeology with detailed analysis of wear traces to reconstruct past practices with greater confidence.
In related historical context, previous investigations have identified some of the earliest evidence for wooden construction in antiquity, illustrating that wood and stone technologies often intersected in early human ingenuity. These parallel lines of inquiry help illuminate how ancient populations leveraged available resources to build durable structures and craft everyday implements, shaping the trajectory of technological advancement in ways that resonate with modern understandings of human innovation.
Overall, the study strengthens the case that the mastery of woodworking, alongside other essential crafts, was already well established by tens of thousands of years ago. The ability to produce and use polished stone tools for wood processing reflects sophisticated decision-making, resource management, and skill development that formed a foundation for later technological breakthroughs in the Paleolithic era.