Modern schoolchildren, having got into the walls of the historical museum, usually go through the exposition with laughter, where the tools of the Stone Age are exhibited. They seem so primitive and simple that they do not even deserve special attention from the visitors of the exhibition. However, in fact, these tools of labor of the ancient man of the Stone Age are clear evidence of how he evolved from apes to Homo sapiens. It is extremely interesting to trace this process, but historians and archaeologists can only direct the mind of the inquisitive in the right direction. Indeed, at the moment, almost everything that they know about the Stone Age is based on the study of these very simple tools. But the development of primitive people was actively influenced by society, religious beliefs and climate. Unfortunately, archaeologists of past centuries did not take into account the data at all.factors, characterizing one or another period of the Stone Age. Labor tools of the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic, scientists began to carefully study much later. And they were literally delighted with how skillfully primitive people managed with stone, sticks and bone - the most accessible and common materials at that time. Today we will tell you about the main tools of the Stone Age and their purpose. We will also try to recreate the production technology of some items. And be sure to give a photo with the names of the tools of the Stone Age, which are most often found in the historical museums of our country.
A brief description of the Stone Age
Today, scientists believe that the Stone Age can be safely attributed to the most important cultural and historical layer, which is still rather poorly understood. Some experts argue that this period has no clear time limits, because official science has established them based on the study of finds made in Europe. But she did not take into account that many peoples of Africa were in the Stone Age until they became acquainted with more developed cultures. It is known that some tribes still process the skins and carcasses of animals with objects made of stone. Therefore, talk about the fact that the tools of labor of people of the Stone Age are the distant past of mankind is premature.
Based on official data, we can say that the Stone Age began approximately three million years ago from the moment when the first hominid living in Africa thought of using stonefor your purposes.
When studying the tools of the Stone Age, archaeologists often cannot determine their purpose. This can be done by observing tribes that have a similar level of development with primitive people. Thanks to this, many items become more understandable, as well as the technology of their manufacture.
The Stone Age is divided by historians into several fairly large time periods: Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. In each, the tools of labor were gradually improved and became more and more skillful. At the same time, their purpose also changed over time. It is noteworthy that archaeologists distinguish between Stone Age tools and the place where they were found. In the northern regions, people needed some items, and in the southern latitudes, completely different ones. Therefore, to create a complete picture, scientists need both those and other findings. Only by the totality of all found tools can one get the most accurate idea of the life of primitive people in ancient times.
Materials for making tools
It is natural that in the Stone Age the main material for the manufacture of certain items was stone. Of its varieties, primitive people chose mainly flint and limestone slate. They made excellent cutting tools and hunting weapons.
In a later period, people began to actively use bas alt. He went to work tools intended for domestic needs. However, this happened already when people became interested in agriculture and cattle breeding.
In parallel, primitive man masteredmaking tools from bone, horns of animals killed by him and wood. In various life situations, they turned out to be very useful and successfully replaced the stone.
If we focus on the sequence of the emergence of Stone Age tools, we can conclude that the first and main material of ancient people was stone. It was he who turned out to be the most durable and was of great value in the eyes of primitive man.
The appearance of the first tools of labor
The first tools of the Stone Age, the sequence of which is so important for the world scientific community, were the result of accumulated knowledge and experience. This process lasted for more than one century, because it was quite difficult for a primitive man of the early Paleolithic era to understand that randomly collected items could be useful to him.
Historians believe that hominids in the process of evolution were able to understand the wide possibilities of stones and sticks, found by chance, to protect themselves and their communities. So it was easier to drive away wild animals and get roots. Therefore, primitive people began to pick up stones and throw them away after use.
However, after some time, they realized that it was not so easy to find the right object in nature. Sometimes it was necessary to bypass quite extensive territories so that a stone convenient and suitable for gathering was in the hands. Such items began to be stored, and gradually the collection was replenished with convenient bones and branched sticks of the required length. All of them became a kind of prerequisite for the first tools of the ancient Stone Age.
GunsLabor of the Stone Age: the sequence of their occurrence
Among some groups of scientists, the division of tools into the historical eras to which they belong is accepted. However, it is possible to imagine the sequence of the emergence of tools in another way. Stone Age people gradually developed, so historians have given them different names. Over the long millennia, they have gone from Australopithecus to Cro-Magnon. Naturally, during these periods, the tools of labor also changed. If we carefully trace the development of the human individual, then in parallel we can understand how much the tools of labor were improved. Therefore, further we will talk about objects made during the Paleolithic period by hands:
- Australopithecines;
- Pithecanthropus;
- Neanderthals;
- Cro-Magnons.
If you still want to know what tools were in the Stone Age, then the following sections of the article will reveal this secret for you.
Invention of tools
The appearance of the first objects designed to make life easier for primitive people dates back to the time of the Australopithecus. These great apes are considered the most ancient ancestors of modern man. It was they who learned how to collect the necessary stones and sticks, and then decided to try with their own hands to give the desired shape to the found object.
Australopithecines were mainly engaged in gathering. They constantly looked for edible roots in the forests and picked berries, and therefore were often attacked by wild animals. Randomly found stones, as it turned out, helpedto do the usual thing more productively and even allowed to protect themselves from animals. Therefore, ancient man made attempts to turn an unsuitable stone into something useful with a few blows. After a series of titanic efforts, the first tool of labor was born - a hand ax.
This item was an oblong-shaped stone. On the one hand, it was thickened to fit more comfortably in the hand, and on the other hand, the ancient man sharpened it with the help of blows with another stone. It is worth noting that the creation of an ax was a very laborious process. The stones were rather difficult to process, and the movements of Australopithecus were not very accurate. Scientists believe that it took at least a hundred strokes to create one axe, and the weight of a tool often reached fifty kilograms.
It was much more convenient to dig roots out of the ground with the help of an ax and even kill wild animals with it. We can say that it was with the invention of the first tool of labor that a new milestone in the development of mankind as a species began.
Despite the fact that the ax was the most popular tool, Australopithecus learned how to create scrapers and points. However, their scope was the same - gathering.
Pithecanthropus tools
This species is already bipedal and can claim to be called a man. Unfortunately, the tools of labor of the Stone Age people of this period are not numerous. Finds related to the era of Pithecanthropes are very valuable for science, because each item found carriesextensive information about a little-studied historical time interval.
Scientists believe that Pithecanthropus used basically the same tools as Australopithecus, but learned to work them more skillfully. Stone axes were still very common. Also in the course went and flakes. They were made from bone by splitting into several parts, as a result, a primitive man received a product with sharp and cutting edges. Some finds allow us to get an idea that Pithecanthropes tried to make tools from wood as well. Actively used by people and eoliths. This term was used for stones found near water bodies, which naturally have sharp edges.
Neanderthals: new inventions
The tools of the Stone Age (we have given a photo with a caption in this section), made by Neanderthals, are distinguished by their lightness and new forms. Gradually, people began to approach the choice of the most convenient shapes and sizes, which greatly facilitated the hard daily work.
Most of the finds of that period were found in one of the caves in France, so scientists call all Neanderthal tools Mousterian. This name was given in honor of the cave, where large-scale excavations were carried out.
A distinctive feature of these items is their focus on making clothes. The Ice Age, in which the Neanderthals lived, dictated their conditions to them. To survive, they had to learn how to process animal skins and sew various clothes from them. Prickers, needles and awls appeared among the tools of labor. With their help, the skins could be connected to each other with animal tendons. Such instruments were made of bone and most often by splitting the source material into several plates.
In general, scientists divide the finds of that period into three large groups:
- hem;
- scrapers;
- pointed.
Handlers resembled the first tools of labor of an ancient man, but were much smaller. They were quite common and were used in different situations, for example, for striking.
Scrambles were great for butchering the carcasses of dead animals. Neanderthals skillfully separated the skin from the meat, which was then divided into small pieces. With the help of the same scraper, the skins were further processed, this tool was also suitable for creating various wood products.
Points were often used as weapons. Neanderthals had sharp darts, spears and knives for various purposes. For all this, spikes were needed.
Cro-Magnon era
This type of person is characterized by high stature, a strong figure and a wide range of skills. The Cro-Magnons successfully put into practice all the inventions of their ancestors and invented completely new tools.
At this period, stone tools were still extremely common, but gradually other materials were appreciated. They learned how to make various devices from animal tusks and their horns. The main activities were gathering and hunting. That's why everythingtools contributed to the facilitation of these types of labor. It is noteworthy that the Cro-Magnons learned to fish, so archaeologists were able to find, in addition to already known knives, blades, arrowheads and spears, harpoons and fish hooks made from animal tusks and bones.
Interestingly, the Cro-Magnon people came up with the idea of making dishes from clay and burning it in fire. It is believed that the end of the Ice Age and the Paleolithic era, which was the heyday of the Cro-Magnon culture, was marked by significant changes in the life of primitive people.
Mesolithic
Scientists date this period from the tenth to the sixth millennium BC. In the Mesolithic, the world's oceans gradually rose, so people had to constantly adapt to unfamiliar conditions. They explored new territories and sources of food. Naturally, all this affected the tools of labor, which became more perfect and convenient.
In the Mesolithic era, archaeologists found microliths everywhere. By this term it is necessary to understand tools made of small stone. They greatly facilitated the work of ancient people and allowed them to create skillful products.
It is believed that it was during this period that people first began to tame wild animals. For example, dogs have become faithful companions of hunters and guards in large settlements.
Neolithic
This is the final stage of the Stone Age, in which people mastered agriculture, cattle breeding and continued to develop pottery. Such a sharp jump indevelopment of man markedly modified stone tools. They acquired a clear focus and began to be made only for a particular industry. For example, stone plows were used to till the land before planting, and harvesting was done with special reaping tools with cutting edges. Other tools made it possible to finely grind plants and cook food from them.
It is noteworthy that in the Neolithic era, entire settlements were built of stone. Sometimes houses and all the objects inside them were completely and completely carved from stone. Such settlements were very common in what is now Scotland.
In general, by the end of the Paleolithic era, man successfully mastered the technique of making tools from stone and other materials. This period became a solid foundation for the further development of human civilization. However, the ancient stones still hold many secrets that beckon modern adventurers from all over the world.
