800 thousand year-old stone tools discovered in Central Highlands

By Doan Loan   April 11, 2016 | 01:53 am PT
Hundreds of stone tools and other artifacts estimated at 700-800 thousand years old have been discovered in the Central Highlands province of Tay Nguyen.

At present, these artifacts are the earliest evidence of human presence in Vietnam.

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Artifacts and stone tools discovered in the Central Highlands. Photo: Doan Loan

Since 2015, Vietnamese archaeologists, with help from the Russia-based Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, have unearthed five Paleolithic age sites in An Khe commune, Gia La province, and discovered 58 prehistoric stone tools, most of which are made of quartz.

Archaeologists have also found 21 pieces of tektite fragements.

In Roc Tung, archaeologists have unearthed 123 artifacts and 127 pieces of tektite fragements.

Experts said the most valuable artifacts are side-choppers and hand axes that show signs of techniques used in the prehistoric age.

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Photo: Doan Loan

Nguyen Gia Doi, an archaeologist, said that initial estimates reveal that these artifacts belonged to primitive men. However, no skeletons of prehistoric humans or animals have been found.

 
 
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