Ancient humans made elephant bone tools in Europe half a million years ago

An ancient tool is reshaping our understanding of Europe’s early inhabitants.

Discovered during excavations at Boxgrove in West Sussex, the ancient hammer is among the oldest elephant bone tools ever found. Dated to 480,000 years ago, it’s more than 30,000 years older than any similar artefact in Europe.

Ancient humans, possibly Homo heidelbergensis or the Neanderthals, were using this tool long before our species reached Britain. The hammer would have been used to sharpen handaxes and other stone tools as Boxgrove’s residents butchered a wide variety of animals including giant deer, horses and rhinos.

The skill required to make and use such a tool shows that these people had real foresight, an ability essential for planning their hunts and other complex activities. Simon Parfitt, one of our Scientific Associates, says that the hammer is a testament to their ingenuity.

“This remarkable discovery showcases the resourcefulness of our ancient relatives,” Simon says. “They possessed not only a deep knowledge of the local materials around them, but also a sophisticated understanding of how to craft highly refined stone tools.”

“Elephant bone would have been a rare but highly useful resource, and it’s likely this was a tool of considerable value.”

The findings of the discovery were published in the journal Science Advances.

How was Boxgrove’s elephant bone hammer used?

First excavated in the 1970s, the site at Boxgrove quickly became one of the most important places in the world for understanding how ancient humans lived half a million years ago. Among the discoveries made at the site are the earliest human remains in the UK, the oldest bone tools in Europe and thousands of butchered animal remains.

Among these finds was what at first appeared to be a nondescript fragment of elephant bone. The triangular object measures around 11 centimetres long and six centimetres wide, and researchers initially thought it might have broken off while an elephant carcass was being butchered, possibly when its bones were smashed to extract the marrow inside.

However, a recent reanalysis of the bones showed that this was in fact an extraordinarily rare tool that had been carefully shaped from a thick layer of bone. Its density and thickness suggests that it must have been made from either a straight-tusked elephant or mammoth – but there’s not enough evidence to determine which.

Dr Silvia Bello, one of our human evolution researchers, says that the tool would have been used as a retoucher. This is a type of hammer used to break off parts of the cutting edge of flint tools to keep them sharp. Elephant bone would have been well-suited for this role.

“While hammerstones are often used to start shaping stone tools, organic materials are used for more precise working,” explains Silvia. “Softer substances like elephant bone and antlers have a more elastic structure than rock, making it easier to control the stone-working process.”

“Small pieces of the flint edges this tool was being used to sharpen are embedded in the bone, confirming its use as a retoucher.”

A window into the past

The hammer offers an invaluable insight into the lives of people half a million years ago.

Elephant bone is rare at Boxgrove, with no other pieces found in the immediate area surrounding the retoucher. This suggests that Boxgrove’s inhabitants recognised the benefits of elephant bone and then made it into tools they could carry around.

“This is a really special insight into their lives,” Silvia adds. “It shows that these ancient humans were capable of planning ahead and weren’t just grabbing what came to hand.”

“The retoucher shows signs of being shaped and used while the bone was still fresh, suggesting that these humans knew that elephant bone was a great material for this. As soon as the opportunity came up, they took it.”

As the pattern of impacts on the bone are grouped together in certain areas it suggests that the retoucher was used many times to sharpen flint tools. However, it only seems to have been used for a relatively short amount of time.

“We don’t know why this tool was abandoned,” says Silvia. “It was still usable when it was lost, so it wasn’t thrown away after being broken.”

“It’s possible that it was accidentally lost, and that its owner was never able to find it again. Alternatively, it might have been discarded intentionally – but why such a useful object would have been left behind is a mystery.”

The team hope to uncover more of Boxgrove’s mysteries as they continue to pore through its artefacts, looking for more evidence that could change what we know about our distant relatives.