Top 8 Oldest Artifacts Ever Found

Archeology started in the earliest civilization when people wished to know more about the past. The Greek Herodotus historian in the 5th century were the first individuals to study systematically about the past times and perhaps the earliest to study artifacts.

Ever since then, archeologists worldwide had found various artifacts from different civilizations. Here we would like to share with you the top 8 oldest artifacts ever found in this world.

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8. Venus of Hohle Fels

Age: 35,000 - 40,000 years

Found: Germany

The Venus doll from Hohle Fels is the oldest doll in the world depicting a picture of a human. It is estimated to be around 35,000 - 40,000 years old. It was found in 2008 in Hohle Fels cave by a group of archaeologists led by Nicholas J. Conard.

The team found other ancient artifacts including the oldest tool in the world stated on this list. Ever since the discovery, there were many debates about the exact age of this doll with Nicholas Conard suggesting that the doll is related to sex and reproduction.

He also added that the features of the women can be seen in the doll as something powerful coming from the essence of women.

7. Löwenmensch Figurine

Age: 35,000 - 40,000 years

Found: Germany

The Löwenmensch figurine is the oldest prehistoric ivory sculpture in the world. It features a sculpture of a standing lion shaped like a human aging between 35,000 to 40,000 years old.

This sculpture was first found in 1939 by an archaeologist Otto Volzig at the Hohlenstein-Stadel cave but the start of the Second World War had caused the research of this cave to come to a halt.

More artifacts were found in the cave in 1962 and it was added to a doll remade by Joachim. In 2009, further digging was done with more pieces being found in the cave. Today, this figurine has been fully restored and displayed at the Ulm Muzeum.

6. Paleolithic Flute

Age: 42,000 - 43,000 years

Found: Germany

According to scientists, the bone flute that was found in Geissenkloesterle cave in Germany is the oldest musical instrument ever found in the world. Researchers used the Pentarikhan radiocarbon method to determine the age of the flute which was between 42,000 - 43,000 years of age.

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The flute was made from bird's bone and huge tusks originating from the Aurignacian archeology that is related to the earliest modern human in Europe. This tool might be used for recreational or religious rituals.

This flute is far much older than the previous record holder found in Hohle Fels cave dating back to 35,000 years ago.

5. Skhul Cave Beads

Age: 100,000 years

Found: Israel

These cave beads from Skhul Cave, Israel were considered the oldest jewelry ever made by mankind. Two beads from Skhul had existed for at least 100,000 years ago with the third bead from Oued Djebbana, Algeria dated around 35,000 - 90,000 years old.

According to archaeologists who studied sea shells, the snails that produced this shell will be from the sea at 3.5km in distance from Skhul. This means that these beads had cultural importance to the people who made them as they were forced to travel afar to collect the shells.

The discovery of these beads showed the behaviors of modern humans that thrived in the history of mankind far earlier than expected.

4. Ochre-Paint Studio

Age: 100,000 years

Found: South Africa

The Blombos cave archaeological site was under a digging project since 1992 and for years on out, they found many kinds of artifacts. One of the discoveries in 2008 will be the Ochre-Paint Studio which is comprised of two toolkits that had existed 100,000 years ago.

They also found a red colored bowl at the top as if the paint was kept inside two abalone shells. There were ochre, bones, coals, stone hammers, and baked stones that were believed to be used by the early Homo sapiens to create paint.

Despite the researchers did not know of the use of the paint, they did know that the people at the time used quartzite to grind the ochre to the ground and mixed them with the oil from the bones that were heated.

3. Acheulean

Age: 1.76 million years

Found: scattered across Africa, Asia, and Europe (oldest is in Africa)

The hand axe Acheulean was used in the earliest history of mankind. This tool was believed to have been made by the Homo erectus around 1.76 million years ago and was used until the Stone Age(300,000 - 200,000 years ago).

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This hand axe was named after the St. Acheul archaeological site in France where this tool was first found in the late 1860s. The oldest Acheulean hand axe was found at the Kokiselei 4 archeological site in Kenya dating back to 1.76 million years ago.

The oldest hand axe found outside of Africa was 900,000 years old and was found in 2 different caves in Spain.

2. Oldowan

Age: 2.6 million years

Found: Ethiopia

A research paper was published in 2015 showing that the Oldowan stone toll found in Gona, Ethiopia was believed to be the oldest stone toll ever found. This tool dated around 2.6 million years ago.

Researchers were unsure of who created the tool from Gona as there were no fossils found close to the artifact. The closest theory suggests that it was made by Australopithecus garhi, a hominid species which existed 55 km south of Gona.

It was close to the animal bones showing signs of slaughter which suggest the purpose of this stone tool. The Oldowan was first found by a popular archeologist, Louis Leakey in the 1930s.

1. Lomekwi Stone Tool

Age: 3.3 million years

Found: Kenya

This stone tool was found in Lomekwi 3 which is an archeological site in Kenya. The tool was believed to be dated 3.3 million years ago before mankind ever existed and it is the oldest artifact in the world.

Despite researchers not being sure of who were the early ancestors to have created such a tool, this discovery showed how the earliest being had the capability to create tools before each of their family members was born into this world.

Source:

• BBC

• IDN Times

Also read: Top 7 Oldest Maps of The World Ever Found