(ORDO NEWS) — Scientists from the Sapienza University of Rome have discovered in Ethiopia a huge hoard of volcanic glass products that were produced by the ancestors of Homo sapiens.
Archaeologists have studied 575 obsidian objects more than 1.2 million years old found in the Awash Valley in Ethiopia.
Among them, more than 30 stone axes about 11.5 cm long were found. Ancient people may have used them for cutting, scraping, butchering and digging.
Obsidian tools can have very sharp cutting edges, but volcanic glass is brittle and difficult to work without breaking.
The widespread use of the material began only 300-50 thousand years ago, and the first evidence of the regular manufacture of such tools was found in Europe, their age is estimated at 500 thousand years.
Findings in the 1970s led scientists to speculate that obsidian could have been transported over long distances as early as 1.4 million years ago.
The discovery of scientists added evidence to this hypothesis, and also shows the underestimation of the intelligence of human ancestors.
It remains unclear which hominin could create these artifacts, but scientists are inclined to believe that it was Homo erectus.
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