Archaeologists have identified a prehistoric hammer made from elephant bone that dates back almost 500,000 years. Found in southern England, the object is the oldest known elephant bone tool ever discovered in Europe.
Researchers from UCL and the Natural History Museum, London analyzed the rare artifact, which offers a striking look at the intelligence and technical abilities of early human ancestors. Their findings were published in Science Advances.
The tool was probably created by early neanderthals or Homo heidelbergensis. Rather than serving as a heavy hammer, it functioned as a softer striking tool used to repair and sharpen stone handaxes and other cutting implements after their edges became worn.
Lead author Simon Parfitt (UCL Institute of Archaeology and Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum) said: “This remarkable discovery showcases the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our ancient ancestors. They possessed, not only a deep knowledge of the local materials around them, but also a sophisticated understanding of how to craft highly refined stone tools. Elephant bone would have been a rare but highly useful resource, and it’s likely this was a tool of considerable value.”
A 500,000-Year-Old Elephant Bone Tool
The fossilized object has a roughly triangular shape. It measures approximately 11 centimeters long, six centimeters in width, and about three centimeters thick. Marks across its surface show that early humans deliberately shaped it for use as a tool.
Most of the fragment consists of cortical bone, the thick and dense tissue that forms the hard outer layer of bones. Its unusual thickness indicates that it came from either an elephant or a mammoth. However, too little of the original bone remains for researchers to identify the exact animal species or determine which part of the skeleton it came from.
The fragment was first recovered during the early 1990s. At the time, researchers did not recognize it as a tool. Its true purpose only became clear after scientists recently carried out a more detailed examination of objects recovered from the site.
Microscopic Clues Reveal Its Purpose
The team studied the bone with 3D scanning technology and electron microscopes. Their analysis revealed distinctive notches, impact damage and other signs that the object had repeatedly been used as a hammer.
Tiny pieces of flint were also found lodged inside the marks. These fragments provided strong evidence that the bone had been used to strike, reshape and maintain stone tools on multiple occasions.
Because bone is softer than stone, it allows a toolmaker to work more precisely without causing excessive damage. Early humans often used bone implements to sharpen the cutting edges of handaxes and tools used for butchering animals.
Researchers concluded that the object probably acted as a “retoucher.” A retoucher is used to strike the edge of a worn stone tool, knocking off small flakes to restore its intended form and cutting edge. This method of shaping stone is known as “knapping.”
Elephant bone would have been especially suitable for this task. Its dense outer layer was harder and more durable than the bones of many other animals available in the region, allowing it to withstand repeated impacts.
A Rare and Valuable Prehistoric Resource
Elephants and mammoths were not common in prehistoric southern England. The decision to collect, preserve and shape such a rare material provides evidence of the resourcefulness and mental abilities of the early humans living there.
They appear to have understood that elephant bone offered advantages over more widely available animal bones. Instead of treating it as waste, they recognized its value and saved it for a specialized purpose.
The use of a retoucher also points to a relatively advanced level of technology. With this tool, early humans could create and maintain stone implements that were more carefully shaped and complex than those produced by some other prehistoric populations living during the same period.
Co-author Dr. Silvia Bello, Merit Researcher at the Natural History Museum, said: “Our ancient ancestors were sophisticated in their use of tools. Collecting and shaping an elephant bone fragment and then using it on multiple occasions to shape and sharpen stone tools shows an advanced level of complex thinking and abstract thought. They were resourceful gatherers of available materials, and savvy about how best to use them.”
The Boxgrove Archaeological Site
The elephant bone tool came from Boxgrove, an archaeological site near Chichester in West Sussex, England. Boxgrove has been extensively excavated, and researchers have uncovered many tools made from flint, bone and antler there.
Until now, however, no tool made from elephant bone had been identified at the site.
Scientists do not know whether early humans hunted the animal or collected its bone from a carcass that was already dead. Damage and deformation on the artifact suggest that the bone was still relatively fresh when it was shaped and used.
An Exceptionally Rare European Discovery
Elephant bone tools have previously been found at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, with some examples dating back as far as 1.5 million years.
In Europe, however, discoveries of ancient elephant bone tools are extremely uncommon. Only a small number are known from before 43,000 years ago, when modern humans (Homo sapiens) began spreading across the continent and produced large quantities of ivory and elephant bone tools, artworks and structures.
Before this discovery, no European elephant bone tool was known to be older than approximately 450,000 years. Most of those early examples were also found much farther south, in regions with warmer climates.
The Boxgrove artifact therefore expands the known history and geographical range of elephant bone technology in Europe. It also reveals that early humans in Britain were carefully selecting rare materials and using them to produce and maintain highly refined tools hundreds of thousands of years ago.
The research was supported by English Heritage, UCL and the Calleva Foundation.