Kafuan tool complex

archaeological record

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June 30, 2026

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The Kafuan tool complex, dating back to the Middle Pliocene Epoch (approximately 3.3 million years ago), represents some of the earliest known stone tools. Discovered near Kenya's Lake Turkana, these tools, including early hammers, anvils, and cutting implements, predate the oldest confirmed specimens of the Homo genus.12

The Kafuan industry is characterized by pebble tools, roughly chipped on one side. This evolved into the Oldowan industry, which featured pebbles chipped on both sides to create simple, all-purpose tools for chopping, scraping, or cutting. Flakes produced during this process were also utilized as tools. These early tools were likely made by early hominids, possibly Homo habilis, though some scholars suggest more advanced hominids may have been responsible. The ability to create standardized tools is a defining characteristic of the Homo genus.134

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Stone Age
East Africa
This development, known as the Kafuan, apparently evolved into an industry characterized by implements made on pebbles chipped to an edge on both sides, called the Oldowan. Overlying the latter are beds containing true Lower Paleolithic hand axes of Abbevillian and Acheulean type, together with flake tools. Associated with the…
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This development, known as the Kafuan, apparently evolved into an industry characterized by implements made on pebbles chipped to an edge on both sides, called the Oldowan. Overlying the latter are beds containing true Lower Paleolithic hand axes of Abbevillian and Acheulean type, together with flake tools. Associated with the…
Read More