Book 5, Question 76
Stone Age Toolkit! Why Did Early People Make Stone Tools?
Long ago, people did not have metal tools or stores. They shaped stones to cut, scrape, and pound, which helped with jobs like preparing food. Stone tools are some of the oldest clues we have about early people.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 5
More fun facts
- Stone tools give scientists clues about how early humans made things, how they lived and how they changed over time.
- By about 1.76 million years ago, early humans had begun making handaxes and other large cutting tools.
- Some of the oldest toolmakers may have traveled miles to collect the best stones for their tools.
- Stone Age people also made tiny tools. Small stone flakes were easy to make and easy to replace, a bit like paperclips today.
- Stone tools even show what kinds of thinking skills and inventions early toolmakers were capable of.
Sources: Smithsonian, Smithsonian Magazine, Emory
Questions kids ask
Were all stone tools big?
No. Stone Age people also made tiny stone flakes that were quick to make and easy to replace.