430,000-year-old wooden tools unearthed in Greece

Two wooden tools, dating back to 430,000 years are found on a lake shore in Greece and are now the oldest wooden tools ever discovered.

One tool is a thin stick about 2.5 feet long. Scientists believe ancient humans used it for digging in the mud. The other is a small, handheld chunk of wood, possibly made from willow or poplar. They believe it was used to shape stone tools.

Uncovering antique wooden tools is very irregular because wood rots quickly. It usually survives only in special places like ice, caves, or underwater. These tools were found in the Megalopolis basin in Greece. Researchers think mud buried them quickly, and the wet ground kept them safe for thousands of years.

“I’ve always just been thrilled to be able to touch these objects,” said study author Annemieke Milks from the University of Reading.

Scientists did not date the wood directly. However, they know the site itself is about 430,000 years old. While they have found stone tools and elephant bones nearby, they have not found human remains. This means they do not know exactly who used these tools. It could have been Neanderthals or other early human ancestors.

This discovery gives us a rare look at how early humans survived. Other ancient wooden tools have been found in Germany and China, but these are the oldest yet.

“It’s difficult to get excited about these because they don’t strike you immediately as wooden tools,” said archaeologist Jarod Hutson, who was not part of the study. However, the find shows a peek into a “little-known aspect of the technology of early humans,” said study author Katerina Harvati.