Home > Encyclopedia of Science > Hand Tools

• Earliest stone and metal tools
• Development of modern tools
• Modern technology

The earliest hand tools date back to the Old Stone Age (of the Paleolithic period), the earliest period of human development, which started roughly two million years ago. These early hand tools included sticks and rocks picked up and used to pound, dig, or throw. Modern technologies make hand tools that are battery powered, so they are still portable yet easier to use than their predecessors.

Earliest stone and metal tools

Technology begins in human history when the first stone flints or spear tips were deliberately cut. These are known as Oldowan tools or eoliths. It is often difficult for archaeologists to prove that the sharpened edges of some stone...