Archaeologists announced the discovery of hundreds of stone tools dating to the era of Homo erectus, who lived in northern Sudan over 700,000 years ago. The discovery took place 70 km east of the modern city of Atbara in Sudan.
Homo erectus (meaning "upright man") is an extinct species of archaic human from the Pleistocene, which first emerged about two million years ago. Studies suggest that the species had a humanlike gait and body proportions, a flat face, prominent nose, and possibly sparse body hair coverage.
According to the Heritage Daily website, a gold mining mission in the eastern Sudanese Desert, to the east of the Nile River, led to the excavation of an old mine. The mining allowed archaeologists to study exposed layers containing large tools with cutting edges.
According to the website, archaeologists believe that the site was a workshop to manufacture stone tools based on the found fragments likely formed during the production.
Using a method called optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), the team analyzed layers of soil and sand lying above the tools, and estimated that the layers date to around 390 thousand years ago.
A professor at the Institute of Archaeology of the University of Wrocław said: "This means that the layers below are certainly older. Based on the workmanship style, I believe the tools may be over 700,000 years old and perhaps even a million years old."
Archeologists have long been studying a theory saying Homo erectus migrated from Africa to the world, and that they represent an evolutionary phase that preceded Home Sapiens, who inhabited several parts of our world. The researchers note that the site is the oldest known example of tool manufacturing within the areas of Egypt and Sudan that has a well-confirmed chronology of human origins research.
