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Oldowan
Geographical range
Afro-Eurasia
Period
Lower Paleolithic
Dates
2.9 million years BP – 1.7 million years
Major sites
Olduvai Gorge
Preceded by
Lomekwi 3[1]
Followed by
Acheulean
The Paleolithic
↑ Pliocene (before Homo)
Lower Paleolithic (c. 3.3 Ma – 300 ka)
Lomekwi (3.3 Ma)
Oldowan (2.6–1.7 Ma)
Acheulean (1.76–0.13 Ma)
Madrasian (1.5 Ma)
Soanian (500–130 ka)
Clactonian (424–400 ka)
Mugharan (400–220 ka)
Middle Paleolithic (c. 300–50 ka)
Mousterian (160–40 ka)
Aterian (145–20 ka)
Micoquien (130–70 ka)
Sangoan (130–10 ka)
Upper Paleolithic (c. 50–12 ka)
Initial Upper Paleolithic
Fertile Crescent:
Emiran (50–40 ka)
Ahmarian (46–42 ka)
Baradostian (36–18 ka)
Aurignacian (35–29 ka)
Zarzian (20–10 ka)
Kebaran (18–12.5 ka)
Trialetian (16–8 ka)
Natufian (14.5–11.5 ka)
Khiamian (12.2–10.8 ka)
Europe:
Bohunician (48–40 ka)
Châtelperronian (44.5–36 ka)
Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (43–32 ka)
Aurignacian (43–26 ka)
Szeletian (41,000-37,000)
Périgordian (35–20 ka)
Gravettian (33–24 ka)
Pavlovian (29–25 ka)
Solutrean (22–17 ka)
Epigravettian (20–10 ka)
Magdalenian (17–12 ka)
Hamburg (15.5–13.1 ka)
Federmesser (14–12.8 ka)
Azilian (14–10 ka)
Ahrensburg (13–12 ka)
Swiderian (11–8 ka)
Africa:
Khormusan (42–18 ka)
Iberomaurusian (25–11 ka)
Mushabian
Halfan (22–14 ka)
Qadan (15—11 ka)
Sebilian (15–11 ka)
Eburran (15–5 ka)
Magosian (10–8 ka)
Siberia:
Mal'ta–Buret' (24–15 ka)
Afontova Gora (21–12 ka}
↓ Mesolithic
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The Oldowan (or Mode I) was a widespread stone tool archaeological industry (style) in prehistory. These early tools were simple, usually made with one or a few flakes chipped off with another stone. Oldowan tools were used during the Lower Paleolithic period, 2.9 million years ago up until at least 1.7 million years ago (Ma), by ancient Hominins (early humans) across much of Africa. This technological industry was followed by the more sophisticated Acheulean industry (two sites associated with Homo erectus at Gona in the Afar Region of Ethiopia dating from 1.5 and 1.26 million years ago have both Oldowan and Acheulean tools[2]).
The term Oldowan is taken from the site of Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, where the first Oldowan stone tools were discovered by the archaeologist Louis Leakey in the 1930s. However, some contemporary archaeologists and palaeoanthropologists prefer to use the term Mode 1 tools to designate pebble tool industries (including Oldowan), with Mode 2 designating bifacially worked tools (including Acheulean handaxes), Mode 3 designating prepared-core tools, and so forth.[3]
Classification of Oldowan tools is still somewhat contentious. Mary Leakey was the first to create a system to classify Oldowan assemblages, and built her system based on prescribed use. The system included choppers, scrapers, and pounders.[4][5] However, more recent classifications of Oldowan assemblages have been made that focus primarily on manufacture due to the problematic nature of assuming use from stone artefacts. An example is Isaac et al.'s tri-modal categories of "Flaked Pieces" (cores/choppers), "Detached Pieces" (flakes and fragments), "Pounded Pieces" (cobbles utilized as hammerstones, etc.) and "Unmodified Pieces" (manuports, stones transported to sites).[6] Oldowan tools are sometimes called "pebble tools", so named because the blanks chosen for their production already resemble, in pebble form, the final product.[7]
It is not known for sure which hominin species created and used Oldowan tools. Its emergence is often associated with the species Australopithecus garhi[8] and its flourishing with early species of Homo such as H. habilis and H. ergaster. Early Homo erectus appears to inherit Oldowan technology and refines it into the Acheulean industry beginning 1.7 million years ago.[9]
^The Oldowan is classically considered the oldest industry of the Lower Paleolithic.
The postulate of an even earlier, possibly pre-human (australopithecine) "Lomekwian" industry is due to
Harmand, S.; et al. (2015). "3.3-million-year-old stone tools from Lomekwi 3, West Turkana, Kenya". Nature. 521 (7552): 310–315. Bibcode:2015Natur.521..310H. doi:10.1038/nature14464. PMID 25993961. S2CID 1207285.
^Semaw, Sileshi; Rogers, Michael J.; Simpson, Scott W.; Levin, Naomi E.; Quade, Jay; Dunbar, Nelia; McIntosh, William C.; Cáceres, Isabel; Stinchcomb, Gary E.; Holloway, Ralph L.; Brown, Francis H.; Butler, Robert F.; Stout, Dietrich; Everett, Melanie (4 March 2020). "Co-occurrence of Acheulian and Oldowan artifacts with Homo erectus cranial fossils from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia". Science Advances. 6 (10): eaaw4694. Bibcode:2020SciA....6.4694S. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aaw4694. PMC 7056306. PMID 32181331.
^Clark, J. G. D. (1969). World prehistory: a new outline. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
^Clark, J.; de Heinzelin, J.; Schick, K.; Hart, W.; White, T.; WoldeGabriel, G.; Walter, R.; Suwa, G.; Asfaw, B.; Vrba, E.; et al. (1994). "African Homo erectus: Old radiometric ages and young Oldowan assemblages in the middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia". Science. 264 (5167): 1907–1909. Bibcode:1994Sci...264.1907C. doi:10.1126/science.8009220. PMID 8009220. S2CID 43698095.
^Leakey, Mary (1971). A Summary and Discussion of the Archaeological Evidence from Bed I and Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. pp. 431–460. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^Isaac, G. Ll., Harris, J. W. K. & Marshall, F. 1981. "Small is informative: the application of the study of mini-sites and least effort criteria in the interpretation of the Early Pleistocene archaeological record at Koobi Fora, Kenya." in "Inter-nacional de Ciencias Prehistoricas Y Protohistoricas", Mexico City. Mexico, pp. 101–119.
^Napier, J. (November 1962). "Fossil Hand Bones from Olduvai Gorge". Nature. 196 (4853): 409–411. Bibcode:1962Natur.196..409N. doi:10.1038/196409a0. S2CID 41163323.
^Richards, M. P. (December 2002). "A brief review of the archaeological evidence for Palaeolithic and Neolithic subsistence". European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 56 (12): 1270–1278. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601646. ISSN 1476-5640. PMID 12494313.
The Oldowan (or Mode I) was a widespread stone tool archaeological industry (style) in prehistory. These early tools were simple, usually made with one...
media related to Oldowan. The earliest stone tools in the era of genus Homo are Mode 1 tools, and come from what has been termed the Oldowan Industry, named...
split, creating an Oldowan tool, the tradition may well be far older than its current record.[citation needed] Towards the end of Oldowan in Africa a new...
and female size is not definitively known. H. habilis manufactured the Oldowan stone-tool industry and mainly used tools in butchering. Early Homo, compared...
first developed about 2 million years ago, derived from the more primitive Oldowan technology associated with Homo habilis. The Acheulean includes at least...
abundance of faunal remains the Leakeys found stone tools Mary classified as Oldowan. In May 1960, at the FLK North-North site, the Leakeys' son Jonathan found...
current archaeological record, until around 300,000 years ago, spanning the Oldowan ("mode 1") and Acheulean ("mode 2") lithics industries. In African archaeology...
sites with complementary economic activities. In the Iberian Peninsula Oldowan stone tools (Mode 1) have been found at the following sites (caves and...
sharp-edged tools for cutting. The earliest Paleolithic stone tool industry, the Oldowan, began around 2.6 million years ago. It produced tools such as choppers...
[better source needed] The first human settlement on Russia dates back to the Oldowan period in the early Lower Paleolithic. About 2 million years ago, representatives...
changes. Arabia has a rich Lower Paleolithic record, and the quantity of Oldowan-like sites in the region indicate a significant role that Arabia had played...
-Selassie Y (June 1994). "African Homo erectus: old radiometric ages and young Oldowan assemblages in the Middle Awash Valley, Ethiopia". Science. 264 (5167):...
Homo has been taken to coincide with the first use of stone tools (the Oldowan industry), and thus by definition with the beginning of the Lower Palaeolithic...
have separated Homo from predecessors.) A. garhi possibly produced the Oldowan industry which was previously considered to have been invented by the later...
19 to 205 mm (0.75 to 8.07 in) in length, normally shorter than later Oldowan industry flakes. Anvils were heavy, up to 15 kg (33 lb). Flakes seem to...
of the first written records in Classical Antiquity in Greece. In 2010, Oldowan flint tools were discovered at Bayraki that are 800,000–1.2 million years...
Homo erectus, some 1.8 million years ago, replacing the more primitive Oldowan industry used by A. garhi and by the earliest species of Homo. The Middle...
humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools. Originally made of wood, bone, and stone (such as flint and obsidian)...
contemporaneous Oldowan site is documented at Garba IV. The magneto-stratigraphic sequence of Jaramillo lies between Tuff A, which overlies the Oldowan sites,...
The country has remained relatively stable since then. The presence of Oldowan Earlier Stone Age (earliest ESA) artifacts in West Africa has been confirmed...
earliest of the dated is Ain Hanech in northern Algeria (c. 1.8 – 1.2 Ma), an Oldowan grade layer. These sites attest that early Homo erectus have crossed the...
late Early Pleistocene, around 1 mya. Often at these sites tools from the Oldowan industry are present. At Kilombe and Buia, it is unclear whether the hippos...
000 years ago. The earliest methods of stone tool making, known as the Oldowan "industry", date back to at least 2.3 million years ago, with the earliest...
the area. The oldest specimen of Homo, LD 350-1, is associated with the Oldowan stone tool industry, meaning this tradition had been in use by the genus...
a protein domain Olduvai, Research Facility on Mars in the Doom (film) Oldowan This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Olduvai...