Hand axes unearthed in Kenya are oldest advanced stone tools ever found

Discovery suggests early humans were wielding sophisticated stone tools at least 300,000 years earlier than thoughtA rare haul of picks, flakes and hand axes recovered from ancient sediments in Kenya are the oldest remains of advanced stone tools yet discovered.Archaeologists unearthed the implements while excavating mudstone banks on the shores of Lake Turkana in the remote north-west of the country.The largest of the tools are around 20cm long and have been chipped into shape on two sides, a hallmark of more sophisticated stone toolmaking techniques probably developed by Homo erectus, a long-dead ancestor of modern humans.Trenches dug at the same site revealed remains of long-gone species that shared the land with those who left the tools behind. Among them were primitive versions of hippopotamuses, rhinos, horses, antelopes, and dangerous predators such as big cats and hyenas.The stone tools, made for crushing, cutting and scraping, gave early humans a means to...

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