How did our earliest ancestors make decisions about the tools they used in the past? This project investigates some of the first signs of human intelligence, the ability to choose the right stone for the right task. By studying stone tools from Ethiopia that are more than one million years old, we aim to understand how early humans selected and used different raw materials.
Our focus is on percussive tools, the simplest yet most powerful technology of early prehistory, used for pounding, cracking, or processing food. These tools provide a unique window into the decision-making processes behind human evolution. Through a combination of mechanical experiments, 3D computation, and diferent scales of microscopic analysis, we will explore the physical properties of stones and the traces left by their use.
By revealing why early humans chose certain materials over others, this research will help us understand how they adapted to their environments and took the first steps toward technological and behavioural complexity, the very roots of what makes us human.

Palavras chave - Stone Tools; Human Evolution; Use-wear; African Archaeology; Microscopy