Chopper from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

Object Details

Age
1.8 million years old
Summary
Early humans in East Africa used hammerstones to strike stone cores and produce sharp flakes. They used these stone tools for a variety of purposes, including extracting meat and bone marrow from large animals. Flakes were removed from the stone core, creating a sharp edge. Imagine using it to chop through the shoulder of an antelope.
This early stone age chopper is the oldest human-made artifact in the Smithsonian's collections.
Site
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
Data Source
NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
Record ID
dpo_3d_200113
Metadata Usage
CC0

Related Object Groups

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
These files consist of 3D scans of historical objects in the collections of the Smithsonian and may be downloaded by you only for non-commercial, educational, and personal uses subject to this disclaimer (https://3d.si.edu/disclaimer) and in accordance with the Terms of Use (https://3d.si.edu/termsofuse).
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer