c. 2600000 BCE
Earliest known Oldowan stone-tool assemblages
Human evolution & hominins · Arqueología lítica · Olduvayense · Atribución incierta
The earliest known Oldowan assemblages date to at least 2.6 million years ago and include hammerstones, cores, and sharp-edged flakes. They are evidence for making and using stone, not for one particular species: several hominin forms coexisted where some of these assemblages occur. They therefore should not be turned into automatic proof that *Homo habilis* was their sole maker.
Precision, calendar, and review
- Start
- year · approximate
- Calendar and convention
- Historical-era years; the source calendar is not identified. No conversion of days is assumed.
- Year zero
- The scale goes from 1 BCE to 1 CE without year zero. Changing era names changes labels only.
- Documentary review
- Date not recorded
Reading the date: point event.
Sources
- humanorigins.si.edu (opens in a new tab)
Source provenance and scope
- Publication date
- Not identified in metadata; document review pending
- Source updated
- 2024-07-08
- Bibliographic date checked
- 2026-09-23
The correspondence between this reference and individual claims has not yet been itemized.
This record is an editorial synthesis. Consult the sources to check claims and their limits. Chronological relationships alone do not establish causation.