Stone tools

A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made either partially or entirely out of
stone. Although stone tool-dependent societies and cultures still exist today, most stone tools
are associated with prehistoric (particularly Stone Age) cultures that have become extinct

4. Types Of Stone Age Tools

Stone Age tools can be divided into various categories on the basis of the time period
during which they were used or the material they were made of. Here we’ll do the
categorization on the basis of the time period they were used in.

The Stone Age is composed of the following stages.

The Oldowan
Oldowan is the earliest of the Stone Age industries. The Oldowan industry contains very basic
and simple choppers and flakes. The Oldowan series of tools originated almost 2.5 million
years ago.

The Acheulean
The Acheulean series of tools come after the Oldowan industry. They are almost 1.7 million
years old. The Acheulean industry contained more complex and more symmetric shapes. These
tools were harder to break and had sharper edges which did the job more conveniently.

b. The Mesolithic Or The Middle Stone Age The Mesolithic period started towards the end of
the ice age i.e 9600 BCE and the Mesolithic period ended at the start of agriculture. As
agriculture started at different times in different parts of the world, therefore exact date of the
end of the Mesolithic age can’t be specified. Agriculture first started in Southeast Europe in
7000 BCE, so the end of Mesolithic period began after 7000 BCE. Some new tools along with
the Paleolithic tools were used in the Mesolithic tools. The new tools used in the Mesolithic
period contained the following tools:

Tranchet Adze
It was a carpentry tool used for making certain objects like boats, fishing platforms, and
houses. It was made by re-sharpening a crosswise flake using teeth. This tool was in use almost
8000 years ago.

Scrapers
A variety of scrapers like end scrapers, side scrapers, and combined scrapers were used during
the Mesolithic era. These scrapers turned raw hides into tents, clothing, and other utilities.
They varied in size and weight. The were small and delicate scrapers for small and delicate
work, and large and heavy scrapers for big and rough work.

Multipurpose Flake Tools During the Mesolithic age, people started using multipurpose tools,.
For example a flake could be a tool whose one side could be used as a knife, second side could
be used as hammerstone, and the third side could be used as a scraper.

Mesolithic Blades
These tools were made very fine. They were made by breaking down stones into flat, straight,
and parallel-sided flakes from stones.
Microliths
Microliths were used to make arrow heads, spears, and other weapons and tools. Handheld
microliths were made by attaching them to wooden or metallic handles.

Burins
Burins were stone tools of the Mesolithic age made from flint flakes or blades. They had sharp
edges and were used to score bones and antlers to create thin pieces like needles and fish
points.

Backed Knives The backed knife was used for cutting purposes. It was basically a double sided
sharp blade, like a sword made of stone or bone. One end of the knife was flattened to be held
in hand and the blade was used for cutting things.

c. The Neolithic Or The New Stone Age

The Neolithic age is also known as the new Stone Age i.e. the end of the Stone Age. This period
started about 10,000 years ago when farming started in the world and ended about 3000 years
ago when the copper age started. People started getting to know of agriculture and domestic
animals like sheep, meat, pigs, and goats – for food and clothing. People needed multipurpose
tools that could be used both for farming and defense against wild animals. Some of the tools
and weapons are given as under:

Blades And Diggers

They were used for cutting animals’ meat and skin. They were also used in farming for digging
the soil. They needed to be very sharp to dig and cut easily.

Axes
Axe was an important tool and weapon during the Neolithic era as it was used for planting,
cutting trees, and defense against wild animals. The edges of the axe were sharpened by
rubbing them against a rough surface.