Million-Year-Old Tools Reveal Mystery Human Species

Archaeological excavations on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi have uncovered seven stone tools dating back at least 1.04 million years, potentially extending to 1.48 million years ago. This groundbreaking discovery, published in the journal Nature, represents the oldest evidence of hominin occupation in the Wallacean archipelago and suggests that unknown human relatives were capable of oceanic crossings far earlier than previously imagined. The identity of these ancient toolmakers remains one of archaeology’s most tantalizing mysteries.

• Taking a ‘Knapp’ With Our Ancient Ancestors – Stone Tools Through Time
• Ancient Stone Tools Found on Sulawesi, but who made them remains a mystery

The seven stone tools discovered on Sulawesi. (M W Moore/Nature)