Tools, earliest recorded

In the earliest stages of human history, people and their homi-nid ancestors relied on easily obtainable natural materials, such as wood, stone, and clay. They developed techniques for fashioning these materials into the weapons, tools, buildings, and household items needed in their everyday lives. The earliest recorded tools date to 3.1 to 2.5 million years ago from the Hadar region of Africa. These tools were made of volcanic rock and were probably used to shape household items, weapons, and other tools. If the earliest humans made and used tools of organic materials, such as skin or rope, they would all have decayed, and no record of them remains today. 

Approximately 2.6 million years ago (MYA), the hominin speeies that eventnally led to Homo began to inelude more and more animal food in their diet. A nnmber of lines of evidenee snpport this viewpoint. First, Oldowanlithic technology appears in the fossil record 2.6 MYA, and there is clear cut evidence to show that these tools were used to butcher and disarticulate animal carcasses. " " Stone tool cut marks on the bones of prey animals and evidence for marrow extraction appear concurrently in the fossil record with the development of Oldowan lithic technology by at least 2.5 MYA. It is not entirely clear which specific early hominin specie or species manufactured and used these earliest stone tools, however Australopithecus garhi might have been a likely candidate. ... 

Clactonian chopping tools are named after the British site of Clacton-on-sea, where there is also the earliest definitive evidence for wood technology in the prehistoric record—the wood was shaped using flint tools. 

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