AUSTRALIA

Around the World March 1, 2011

By Samir S. Patel

In a rock shelter archaeologists discovered the world's oldest known ground-edge tool, a basalt axe from 35,000 years ago.

AUSTRALIA: Grinding the edge of a stone tool can make it sharper and last longer. In a rock shelter archaeologists discovered the world's oldest known ground-edge tool, a basalt axe from 35,000 years ago. It predates the next oldest examples by at least a few thousand years and promises new insights into the evolution of human behavior and technological advancement.

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Photo: Near Map 2024, prepared by Zara Lasky-Davison, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation

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Sydney, Australia

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Photograph by Jamie North, courtesy Hyde Park Barracks Collection, Museums of History NSW

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Enduring Ice Age Ritual

Victoria, Australia

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Jess Shapiro/GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation

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Courtesy Caroline Spry

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Courtesy the National Museum of Denmark
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