Ancient wooden tools from Greece reshape understanding of early humans

Archaeologists working at a site in southern Greece have uncovered what may be the oldest wooden tools ever used by humans. The discovery, made at Marathousa 1 in the Megalopolis Basin of the central Peloponnese, includes a wooden digging stick and a smaller tool, both dating back approximately 430,000 years. The find offers rare insight into how early humans shaped and used wood alongside stone and bone implements during the Middle Pleistocene.

The wooden artifacts were discovered during excavations at what was once the shore of an ancient lake. Researchers from an international team, led by Dr. Annemieke Milks from the University of Reading, carefully examined 144 pieces of wood recovered from the site before identifying two that showed clear evidence of human shaping and use. The preservation of these wooden objects was exceptionally rare, made possible by the waterlogged conditions of the ancient lakebed and the depth at which they were buried—approximately 30 meters below the surface.

Background

Wooden artifacts from ancient times almost never survive. Unlike stone and bone, wood rots quickly when exposed to oxygen and moisture. This means the archaeological record of early human life is heavily skewed toward materials that last, leaving enormous gaps in what scientists know about how our ancestors lived and worked.

Previously, the oldest known handheld wooden tools came from Africa, Europe, and Asia, but all were significantly younger than the Greek finds. A wooden structure discovered at Kalambo Falls in Zambia dates to around 476,000 years ago, but experts believe that represents a built structure rather than a tool. Early Neanderthal wooden tools from Italy, including wedges and digging sticks, date to about 171,000 years old. These discoveries have been limited and scattered, giving scientists only fragmentary views of early wooden tool technology.

The Marathousa 1 site itself has proven exceptional for preservation. The lignite mine where the tools were found sits in an area that was heavily waterlogged when the tools were made. The low-oxygen conditions in the soil prevented the normal decay that would have destroyed wooden remains. Researchers also found stone flakes, bones with cut marks, and the remains of straight-tusked elephants at the site, suggesting that early humans repeatedly visited this location to process large animal carcasses.

Key Details

The Tools Themselves

The primary wooden tool is a digging stick made from alder wood. Measuring about 81 centimeters long, the stick shows clear signs of human shaping. The wood was worked to remove branches and create a handle. Analysis of the tool's wear patterns indicates it was used for digging, likely to loosen wet ground or extract plant-based foods from the lakeshore environment.

The second wooden artifact is smaller and more mysterious. Less than eight centimeters long and made from willow or poplar wood, this tool has clearly been shaped and smoothed through repeated handling. Its small size and form suggest it was held between the fingers and used for fine, detailed work. Researchers believe it may have been used to adjust stone flakes during tool production or to finish work on other objects.

A third piece of wood, also from alder, drew attention for a different reason. It features deep parallel grooves and crushed fibers that microscopic analysis linked to claw damage, likely caused by a large carnivore such as a bear. This find suggests that both early humans and predators competed for access to animal remains at the site.

How Researchers Identified the Tools

Identifying genuine human-made tools among hundreds of wood fragments required meticulous work. Researchers examined dozens of pieces under microscopes, studying markings, internal structure, and tree species. They had to distinguish between wood modified by humans and fragments damaged by natural causes like roots or animal activity. Only two pieces showed clear signs of intentional shaping and use.

"Unlike stones, wooden objects have certain special needs for their longevity. We looked very closely through the whole remains of wood and tried some microscopy to see how their surfaces looked." – Dr. Annemieke Milks, University of Reading

The choice of wood species also tells a story. Early humans selected alder, willow, and poplar—trees that grow in wet environments. This suggests they had developed familiarity with their local landscape and understood which materials were suitable for different purposes.

What This Means

The discovery pushes back the timeline for shaped wooden tools by at least 40,000 years and provides the earliest evidence of this kind from southeastern Europe. It suggests that early humans had developed sophisticated understanding of natural resources and possessed the technical skills to shape wood for specific tasks.

The tools may have been made by either Neandertals or Homo heidelbergensis, indicating that even earlier hominids may have possessed wooden tool technology. This raises questions about how widespread wooden tool use was among early human species and what other perishable materials they may have worked with that have since vanished from the archaeological record.

Scientists emphasize that these finds represent only a tiny fraction of what early humans actually made and used. The vast majority of their material culture—clothing, baskets, wooden structures, and countless other items—has disappeared because it was made from perishable materials. Each wooden artifact that survives offers a precious window into daily life during periods from which almost nothing else remains.

Future work at the Marathousa 1 site may reveal additional wooden artifacts, further expanding understanding of how early humans adapted to their environment and developed the technologies that would eventually lead to modern civilization.