Thread: Tools That Last a Millenium or 3

If only Power tool would last this long

<headline>Where did I put that blade? Toolkit surfaces after 14,000 years</headline>

<!--articleTools Top--> <byline>Deborah Smith Science Editor</byline>
<date>December 27, 2007</date>

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ABOUT 14,000 years ago the owner of an ancient toolkit plonked it down near the wall inside a small hut in Jordan.

<!--articleExtras-wrap--> <bod> </bod> It contained everything that could come in handy on a trip to gather food: a sickle to cut wild wheat, spearheads to hunt gazelle, and even bead-making materials to while away a few hours waiting for more prey to appear.
But it lay there, forgotten, until now. The collection of 36 objects has been unearthed and studied by an Australian archaeologist, Phillip Edwards, providing a rare insight into life for prehistoric hunter-gatherers.
Dr Edwards, of La Trobe University, said the implements had probably been carried in a shoulder bag made of animal hide or fibres. "The most plausible explanation is it served as a toolkit for use on foraging excursions."
But it was not known whether the owner was male or female, or whether they were meant to be used by an individual or a large group, he said.
The ancient people of this region were known as Natufians and built their earthen-floored huts near sources of water, gathering wild barley and wheat.
The sickle in the toolkit was made of two pieces of animal horn and 10 small stone blades, which had been placed in two rows, according to their colour - pale brown or grey.
This showed the hunter-gathers were interested in appearance, not just utility, said Dr Edwards, whose research is published in the latest issue of the journal Antiquity.
The sharp pieces of flint could have been used to make spears or arrows to kill the many animals in this lush area of the Jordan Valley. "Natufian hunters targeted a wide range of prey species [that] included red deer, goat, pig, fox, hare, stork, duck, owl and tortoise," he said.
The large number of spares in the toolkit might have allowed a lone hunter to rearm while pursuing an animal.
Other possible weapons in the kit included a clutch of smooth pebbles. "The smaller stones may have been used as slingshot projectiles," said Dr Edwards.
But there may also have been time for handicrafts. It contained five gazelle toe bones, which the Natufians turned into beads.