Ancient Wooden Tools, From Long Before Homo Sapiens Emerged, Discovered in China

Ancient wooden tools, from long before Homo sapiens emerged, discovered in China

In the hills of southwestern China, near the ancient shoreline of Fuxian Lake, a major archaeological discovery has reshaped how scientists understand the early use of tools. A collection of 35 wooden implements—some resembling digging sticks, others shaped like small, pointed hand tools—was unearthed at a site called Gantangqing. These rare wooden artifacts are estimated to be between 361,000 and 250,000 years old. This timeframe places them in…

Ancient Tools Unearthed in China Reveal East Asia's Lost Wood Age

Archaeologists in China have uncovered a groundbreaking collection of ancient wooden tools, marking the first concrete evidence of a previously unidentified “Wood Age” in East Asia. The discoveries, detailed in a recent report by the South China Morning Post, shed new light on the region’s prehistoric technological advances, challenging long-held assumptions that early human innovation was dominated solely by stone and metal implements. This fin…