Detail map of Gauteng, South Africa Overview map of Gauteng, South Africa

A: Gauteng, South Africa

Early Humans Make Bone Tools

Circa 1.5 million BCE
Bone tools. Photo by  Jim Di Loreto and Don Hurlbert, Smithsonian Institution/

Bone tools. Photo by  Jim Di Loreto and Don Hurlbert, Smithsonian Institution/

Experiments and microscopic studies show that the ends of bone tools found in Swartkrans, Republic of South Africa, were used by early humans to dig in termite mounds about 1.5 million years ago. "Through repeated use, the ends became rounded and polished. Termites are rich in protein and would have been a nutritious source of food for Paranthropus robustus" (http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/behavior/bone-tools, accessed 05-10-2010).

 

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