Эрдэмтэд Баруун Сассексийн Боксгров бүсээс илрүүлсэн ховор олдвор нь эртний хүмүүс чулуун багажаа засварлахдаа тусгай зориулалтын хэрэгсэл ашигладаг байсныг баталлаа.
Лондоны Их сургуулийн коллеж (UCL) болон Байгалийн түүхийн музейн судлаачид Боксгров археологийн дурсгалт газраас олдсон, Европын хамгийн эртнийд тооцогдох зааны ясан багажийг судалжээ. 500 мянган жилийн настай энэхүү олдвор нь эртний неандерталь эсвэл Homo heidelbergensis-ийн үед хамаарах бөгөөд тухайн үеийн хүмүүс хүрээлэн буй орчны нөөцийг тодорхой ажилд зориулан сонгон ашигладаг байсныг гэрчилж байна.
Гурвалжин хэлбэртэй, 11 см урт, 6 см өргөн, 3 см зузаантай уг багажийг том амьтны ясны гаднах хатуу хэсгээр хийсэн болохыг 3D дүрслэл болон электрон микроскопын шинжилгээгээр тогтоожээ. Уг багаж нь чулуун зэвсгийг хагалахгүйгээр ирлэх, засварлах зориулалттай бөгөөд чулуунаас зөөлөн ясан материал ашиглан нарийн цохилт хийх замаар багажийн ашиглалтын хугацааг уртасгадаг байсан нь илэрсэн байна.
Судлаач Саймон Парфитт болон Доктор Силвиа Белло нарын үзэж буйгаар энэхүү олдвор нь эртний хүмүүсийн нөөц бололцоогоо ашиглах чадвар, хийсвэр сэтгэлгээ болон нарийн төвөгтэй багаж зэвсэг урлах чадамжийг нотолж байна. Олдворын гадаргуу дээрх ул мөр нь түүнийг нэг удаагийн хэрэгсэл бус, олон дахин ашиглагдаж байсныг харуулж байгаа юм.
Энэхүү нээлт нь Европ дахь зааны ясан технологийн түүхийг улам баяжуулж, Британийн нутаг дахь эртний хүмүүс өмнө нь төсөөлж байснаас эрт үед тусгай зориулалтын багаж хэрэгсэл бүтээх чадвартай байсныг харуулж байна. Одоогийн байдлаар уг яс нь заан эсвэл мамонтынх гэдэг нь тодорхой боловч амьтны ягшмал зүйл болон ясны хэсгийг нарийвчлан тогтоох боломжгүй хэвээр байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A 500,000-year-old elephant bone tool discovered in southern England is changing the way scientists understand early human technology. The rare artifact was used to repair stone tools and shows that prehistoric humans were already making specialized equipment hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Found at the Boxgrove archaeological site in West Sussex, the object is the oldest known elephant bone tool ever identified in Europe. Researchers from University College London (UCL) and the Natural History Museum, London studied the artifact and found that it was carefully shaped into a tool for a very specific purpose.
The discovery, published in Science Advances, suggests that the tool was made by early Neanderthals or Homo heidelbergensis. The find also reveals that ancient humans were not only using the materials they found around them but were choosing specific resources for specific jobs.
A Rare Elephant Bone Turned Into A Precision Tool
The artifact has a triangular shape and measures about 11 centimeters long, six centimeters wide and three centimeters thick. Marks across its surface show that someone deliberately shaped the bone before using it.
According to researchers from UCL and the Natural History Museum, the fragment was made from cortical bone, the thick outer layer of a large animal bone. Its size and density indicate that it came from an elephant or mammoth, although scientists cannot identify the exact animal species or which part of the skeleton it came from.
The tool was not designed for powerful blows. Instead, it allowed early humans to make controlled strikes on stone tools. Because bone is softer than stone, it could remove small pieces from damaged edges without breaking the tool itself.
This technique, called knapping, was used to restore the sharp edges of handaxes and other cutting tools. The bone hammer helped prehistoric toolmakers keep using their stone equipment for longer. The object was first discovered in the early 1990s, but researchers did not realize it was a tool at the time. Its true function only became clear after a recent reexamination of artifacts from the site.
Hidden Marks Reveal How The Tool Was Used
Scientists used modern imaging methods to understand the history of the bone fragment. The research team examined it with 3D scanning technology and electron microscopes, uncovering detailed traces of its use.
The analysis revealed small notches, impact damage and tiny pieces of flint stuck inside the marks. These clues showed that it had repeatedly been used to strike and reshape stone tools. Lead author Simon Parfitt from the UCL Institute of Archaeology and the Natural History Museum said that:
“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.”
The researchers believe the tool was reused many times rather than thrown away after a single task.
Boxgrove Reveals Ancient Human Ingenuity
The elephant bone tool was found at the Boxgrove archaeological site, near Chichester in West Sussex. The site has already produced many prehistoric tools made from flint, bone and antler, but this is the first elephant bone tool identified there.
Researchers do not know whether the elephant was hunted or whether early humans collected the bone from an animal that had already died. Damage on the artifact indicate that it was still fresh when it was shaped and used.
The study noted that the find is extremely rare in Europe, some much older examples have been discovered at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, dating back around 1.5 million years. Before this discovery, the oldest known European elephant bone tools were about 450,000 years old.
The Boxgrove find expands the history of elephant bone technology in Europe and shows that early humans in Britain were capable of creating specialized tools much earlier than previously understood. Dr. Silvia Bello from the Natural History Museum explained that:
“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.”
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