WASHINGTON (AP) — Ancient stone tools found in western Ukraine may be the oldest known evidence of early human presence in Europe, according to research published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Archaeologists used new methods to date the layers of sedimentary rock surrounding the tools to more than 1 million years old.
The chipped stone tools were likely used for cutting meat and perhaps scraping animal hides, he said.
The very earliest stone tools of this type were found in eastern Africa and date back to 2.8 million years ago, said Rick Potts, who directs the Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program.
“The oldest humans with this old stone tool technology were able to colonize everywhere from warm Iberia (Spain) to Ukraine, where it's at least seasonally very cold – that’s an amazing level of adaptability,” said Potts.
Persons:
”, Mads Faurschou Knudsen, it's, Roman Garba, Rick Potts, “, Potts
Organizations:
WASHINGTON, Aarhus University, Czech Academy of Sciences, Smithsonian, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP
Locations:
Ukraine, Europe, Korolevo, Denmark, Spain, Africa, Iberia