Where were Oldowan tools first discovered?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The Oldowan toolmaking tradition was first discovered by paleoanthropologists Louis Leakey and Mary Leakey in the 1930s at Olduvai Gorge in present-day Tanzania.1

While these artifacts are the namesake of the Oldowan industry, it is important to note that they are not the oldest stone tools ever discovered. Archaeological research has identified older tool assemblages, such as those dating to approximately 3.3 million years ago found at the Lomekwi 3 site near Lake Turkana in Kenya. The Oldowan industry itself, characterized by crudely worked pebble tools, dates to about 2 million years ago and represents a significant stage in early human technological development.231