News Archaeology

Europe’s oldest stone hand axes emerge in Spain

Findings suggest that tool advance occurred by 900,000 years ago, much earlier than previously thought.

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

Europe’s Stone Age has taken an edgy turn. A new analysis finds that human ancestors living in what is now Spain fashioned double-edged stone cutting tools as early as 900,000 years ago, almost twice as long ago as previous estimates for this technological achievement in Europe.