the oldowan complex is a part of the lower paleolithic period.
the oldowan complex is a part of the?
lower paleolithic period
oldowan





















































the oldowan (or mode i) was a widespread stone tool archaeological industry (style) in prehistory. these early tools were simple, usually made with one or a few flakes chipped off with another stone. oldowan tools were used during the lower paleolithic period, 2.6 million years ago up until 1.7 million years ago, by ancient hominin (early humans) across much of africa, south asia, the middle east and europe. this technological industry was followed by the more sophisticated acheulean industry.
oldowan
the leakeys, excavators at olduvai, defined a "developed oldowan" period in which they believed they saw evidence of an overlap in oldowan and acheulean. in their species-specific view of the two industries, oldowan equated to "h. habilis" and acheulean to "h. erectus". developed oldowan was assigned to "habilis" and acheulean to "erectus". subsequent dates on "h. erectus" pushed the fossils back to well before acheulean tools; that is, "h. erectus" must have initially used mode 1. there was no reason to think, therefore, that developed oldowan had to be "habilis"; it could have been "erectus". opponents of the view divide developed oldowan between oldowan and acheulean. there is no question, however, that "habilis" and "erectus" coexisted, as "habilis" fossils are found as late as 1.4 million years ago. meanwhile, african "h. erectus" developed mode 2. in any case a wave of mode 2 then spread across eurasia, resulting in use of both there. "h. erectus" may not have been the only hominin to leave africa; european fossils are sometimes associated with "homo ergaster", a contemporary of "h. erectus" in africa.
stone tool