Neolithic Vegetarians: Learn About the Wooden Tools Used by Early Humans!
The wooden tools recovered by the researchers
Post Author- Ellis Nolan
When you think of the Stone Age, scenes of Neanderthals chasing down great beasts of old for food and furs might come to mind. Many studies have shown the invention and development of stone tools were essential to early humans’ efforts to hunt animals, but according to a recent study, that perspective may have an overbearing presence in the perception of the Stone Age.
The discovery of a unique set of wooden tools in Southwestern China is changing scientists' perception of early humans. The tools, consisting of various shapes and hypothesized functions, are believed to be around 300,000 years old and are the oldest of their kind to be found in Asia. What sets these particular items apart is that they were likely used mostly for digging and harvesting fruits, vegetables and nuts, as opposed to hunting animals. Not only did researchers find plant starches on the tips of the tools, but they also found the remains of hazelnuts, blackberries, pine nuts, grapes and kiwis in the same dig site.
The age of the tools dates them to what is known as the “Middle Stone Age,” characterized by the beginnings of our species, homo sapiens, as well as improved tool creation techniques. Scientists note that, historically, fewer complex stone tools from this era have been found in Asia as opposed to other areas. However, this study argues that the technological prowess of early humans there was no less complex, it simply wasn’t preserved, since wooden tools decompose far more quickly than stone. Not only that, but the environment of early humans in this area in modern day China was mostly dense jungle, as opposed to grasslands. This environment would have encouraged a more plant-focused diet for early humans, since huntable animals would have been harder to catch.
Popular culture has created specific images of early human tools being mostly used to create fire and hunt animals, but what this study represents is a reminder that the scope of archaeology is often limited by what is preserved. The researchers posit that other early human societies could have also pursued more plant-focused diets, but didn’t use stone tools to harvest plants.
Interested in Early Human tools? Check out our collection here!
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