Oldest Wooden Tools Found in Megalopolis, Greece

An international research team has discovered the world's oldest known wooden tools in Megalopolis, Arcadia, Greece. The tools date back 430,000 years.

The discovery was made at the Marathousa 1 archaeological site and dates to the Lower Paleolithic period. The head of the research, paleoanthropologist Katerina Harvati, told APE-MPE that the area was important for the evolution of humans in Europe.

The excavation in the area began in 2013. Stone and bone artifacts were found, as well as mammal bones. The wooden finds were of particular interest. According to an article in the journal PNAS, 144 wooden finds were studied.

Two of the finds were identified as wooden tools: a piece of alder trunk with signs of processing and a small piece of willow or poplar wood. Dr. Annemieke Milks, a specialist in early wooden tools, noted that traces of cutting and carving were found on the objects.

The Marathousa area had unique preservation conditions due to the presence of a lake. Ms. Harvati explained that the finds were quickly buried on the shores of the lake.

Researchers from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Ministry of Culture, the American School of Classical Studies in Athens and the University of Ioannina participated in the study.