ROME, ITALY—According to a Vice report, some 575 hand axes made of obsidian have been discovered at the site of Melka Kunture, which is located in Ethiopia’s Awash River Valley, by a team of researchers led by Margherita Mussi of the Sapienza University of Rome. The tools have been dated to 1.2 million years ago, pushing back the use of obsidian tools by 500,000 years. Hominins are thought to have collected cobbles of volcanic glass from the Awash River to make the tools, Mussi explained. Analysis of the collection of axes also suggests that the hominins crafted standardized tools in a dedicated workshop area, indicating planned activity, she concluded. To read about 9,000-year-old obsidian tools found in Lake Huron, go to "Around the World: Michigan."
