1,500,000 bce

Tools

Acheulean artifact assemblies, which will continue to be produced until 200,000 bce, are first left behind in Africa, probably by Homo ergaster or erectus. This toolkit is characterized by bifaces (hand axes, cleavers, and picks). Acheulean bifaces are typically large, ovoid stones from which flakes have been removed by hammerstones. Their exact purpose is unknown, although it is generally believed that they are basically all-purpose tools. See also 1,900,000 bce Tools; 400,000 bce Tools. (See essay.)