Oldest Wooden Tools Found in Greece at 430,000 Years Old

Archaeologists working in southern Greece have found two wooden tools that date back 430,000 years. These are the oldest handheld wooden tools ever discovered. The finds come from the Marathousa 1 site in the Megalopolis Basin on the Peloponnese Peninsula. A team led by Annemieke Milks from the University of Reading made the discovery. The tools likely belonged to early humans such as Neanderthals or Homo heidelbergensis. They were dug up from waterlogged ground 100 feet below the surface in what was once a lakeshore.

Background

The Marathousa 1 site sits in an area that is now a coal mine. Back then, around 430,000 years ago, it was a busy lakeshore full of life. Workers have been digging there since 2013. They pulled out thousands of pieces of wood, bone, and stone over the years. Stone tools and animal bones with cut marks had turned up before. Those showed that early humans butchered elephants, hippos, deer, and wild boar right there. The ground stayed wet, which kept organic items from rotting away. This rare condition let the wooden tools survive in low-oxygen soil.

Digging happened from 2013 to 2019. In 2015, teams found the main digging stick in four pieces. Three years later, in 2018, they spotted the smaller tool. The site dates to the Middle Pleistocene, a key time when human behaviors got more complex. Europe was in a cold glacial period then. But the lakeshore offered a milder spot with water, plants, and animals. Freshwater snails, turtles, and birds lived nearby. Land mammals roamed too. Large carnivores left tooth marks on some bones, showing competition for food.

Researchers studied the tools with microscopes. They looked for cut marks, wear patterns, and shaping signs. One tool started as a thin alder trunk. Someone cut off branches to make a handle. The other came from willow or poplar wood. Both show clear human work. No human bones have been found yet, so the exact makers remain unknown. But the tools fit with what we know about early groups in the area.

Key Details

The larger tool measures about 2.5 feet long, or 81 centimeters. It has a splintered and frayed end from heavy use. Marks show it was chopped and carved on purpose. Wear patterns match those on modern digging sticks. It likely served to dig in mud for roots or small animals. The stick broke into four parts but was put back together for study.

Tool Shaping and Use

Experts saw stop marks where cutting stopped to avoid damage. Chopping marks run along the sides. The pointed end frayed from digging into tough ground. Alder wood was common nearby, making it a smart choice. The smaller tool is just 3 inches long, or 5.7 centimeters. It is fully debarked with rounded and pitted ends. Shaping marks suggest careful work. It might have helped finish stone or bone tools, or done fine tasks like scraping.

Both tools were buried fast by sediment. This sealed them in wet soil. The site also holds hippo bones, deer antlers, and boar remains. Elephants died there too, with butcher marks from stone tools. Plants and animal fossils helped map the old landscape. It was a rich spot for food and water amid the Ice Age cold.

"We have discovered the oldest wooden tools known to date, as well as the first evidence of this kind from southeastern Europe," said Katerina Harvati, a paleoanthropology professor at the University of Tübingen. "This shows once again how exceptionally good the conditions at the Marathousa 1 site are for preservation."

Annemieke Milks called the find a stroke of luck. Wood rots fast, but the deep, wet burial saved these pieces.

What This Means

These tools push back proof of wooden tool use by at least 40,000 years. Before, the oldest handheld ones were younger. A wooden structure in Zambia is older at 476,000 years, but not handheld. This discovery shows early humans mixed wood with stone and bone tools. They picked local woods like alder and willow for jobs stone could not do. Digging sticks helped get food from the ground. Small tools added precision.

The finds highlight skills lost to time. Wood leaves few traces, so we miss much of early tech. Marathousa fills a gap in southeastern Europe. It proves hominins adapted well there. They competed with predators and used the lakeshore fully. Behaviors like plant shaping started early in human history.

Study of the tools reveals more about daily life. Early groups lived in tough times but found ways to thrive. The site keeps giving clues. Future digs may find human remains or more tools. For now, these wooden pieces stand as the oldest direct proof of handheld wood use. They change how we see tech 430,000 years ago. Researchers plan more analysis to learn exact uses and makers.