s over 10,000 years old, found in
Les Combarelles cave, France
Anthropologists believe that the use of tools was an important step in the
evolution of humankind. Because tools are used extensively by both humans (Homo sapiens) and wild
chimpanzees, it is widely assumed that the first routine use of tools took place prior to the divergence between the two
ape species. These early tools, however, were likely made of perishable materials such as sticks, or consisted of unmodified stones that cannot be distinguished from other stones as tools. Stone artifacts date back to about 2.5 million years ago. However, a 2010 study suggests the
hominin species
Australopithecus afarensis ate meat by carving animal
carcasses with stone implements. This finding pushes back the earliest known use of stone tools among hominins to about 3.4 million years ago. Finds of actual tools date back at least 2.6 million years in
Ethiopia. One of the earliest distinguishable stone tool forms is the
hand axe. Up until recently, weapons found in digs were the only tools of early humans that were studied and given importance. Now, more tools are recognized as culturally and historically relevant. As well as hunting, other activities required tools such as preparing food, "...nutting,
leatherworking, grain harvesting and woodworking..." Included in this group are "flake stone tools". Tools are the most important items that the ancient humans used to climb to the top of the
food chain; by inventing tools, they were able to accomplish tasks that human bodies could not, such as using a
spear or
bow to kill
prey, since their teeth were not sharp enough to pierce many animals' skins. "Man the hunter" as the catalyst for Hominin change has been questioned. Based on marks on the bones at archaeological sites, it is now more evident that pre-humans were scavenging off of other predators' carcasses rather than killing their own food. Early humans progressively invented tools and techniques for trapping animals.
Timeline of ancient tool development Many tools were made in
prehistory or in the early centuries of recorded history, but archaeological evidence can provide dates of development and use. •
Olduvai stone technology (
Oldowan) 2.5 million years ago (scrapers; to butcher dead animals) •
Huts, 2 million years ago. •
Acheulean stone technology 1.6 million years ago (hand axe) •
Fire creation and manipulation, used since the
Paleolithic, possibly by
Homo erectus as early as
1.5 Million years ago •
Boats, 900,000 years ago. •
Cooking, 500,000 years ago. •
Javelins, 400,000 years ago. •
Glue, 200,000 years ago. •
Clothing possibly 170,000 years ago. •
Stone tools, used by
Homo floresiensis, possibly
100,000 years ago. •
Harpoons, 90,000 years ago. •
Bow and arrows, 70,000–60,000 years ago. •
Sewing needles, 60,000 – 50,000 BC •
Flutes, 43,000 years ago. •
Fishing nets, 43,000 years ago. •
Ropes, 40,000 years ago. •
Ceramics •
Fishing hooks, . •
Domestication of animals, •
Sling (weapon) •
Microliths •
Brick used for construction in the Middle East •
Agriculture and
Plough •
Wheel •
Gnomon •
Writing systems •
Copper •
Bronze •
Salt •
Chariot •
Iron •
Sundial •
Glass •
Catapult •
Cast iron •
Horseshoe •
Stirrup first few centuries AD Several of the six classic
simple machines (
wheel and axle,
lever,
pulley,
inclined plane,
wedge, and
screw) were invented in
Mesopotamia. The wheel and axle mechanism first appeared with the
potter's wheel, invented in what is now Iraq during the 5th millennium BC. This led to the invention of the
wheeled vehicle in Mesopotamia during the early 4th millennium BC. The
lever was used in the
shadoof water-lifting device, the first
crane machine, which appeared in Mesopotamia , and then in
ancient Egyptian technology . The earliest evidence of
pulleys date back to Mesopotamia in the early 2nd millennium BC. The
screw, the last of the simple machines to be invented, first appeared in Mesopotamia during the
Neo-Assyrian period (911–609 BC). The Jerwan Aqueduct ( is made with stone arches and lined with waterproof concrete. The earliest evidence of
water wheels and
watermills date back to the
ancient Near East in the 4th century BC, specifically in the
Persian Empire before 350 BC, in the regions of Mesopotamia (Iraq) and
Persia (Iran). This pioneering use of
water power constituted perhaps the first use of
mechanical energy. The
screwdriver for driving fastening screws was, however, not invented until the late 15th century.
Mechanical devices experienced a major expansion in their use in
Ancient Greece and
Ancient Rome with the systematic employment of new energy sources, especially
waterwheels. Their use expanded through the
Dark Ages with the addition of
windmills.
Machine tools Machine tools occasioned a surge in producing new tools in the
Industrial Revolution. Pre-industrial machinery was built by various crafters
millwrights built water and windmills,
carpenters made wooden framing, and smiths and turners made metal parts. Wooden components had the disadvantage of changing dimensions with temperature and humidity, and the various joints tended to rack (work loose) over time. As the Industrial Revolution progressed, machines with metal parts and frames became more common. Other important uses of metal parts were in firearms and threaded fasteners, such as machine screws, bolts, and nuts. There was also the need for precision in making parts. Precision would allow better working machinery, interchangeability of parts, and standardization of threaded fasteners. The demand for metal parts led to the development of several
machine tools. They have their origins in the tools developed in the 18th century by makers of clocks and watches and scientific instrument makers to enable them to batch-produce small mechanisms. Before the advent of machine tools, metal was worked manually using the basic hand tools of hammers, files, scrapers, saws, and chisels. Consequently, the use of metal machine parts was kept to a minimum. Hand methods of production were very laborious and costly and precision was difficult to achieve. With their inherent precision, machine tools enabled the economical production of
interchangeable parts. Examples of machine tools include: ==Types==