Scientists in Greece have discovered two wooden objects dating back roughly 430,000 years, now considered the oldest known handheld wooden tools in the world. The find at the Marathousa 1 site in the Peloponnese pushes evidence of this technology back at least 40,000 years.
That’s what makes it so rare. Wood rarely survives that long, so many similar tools likely existed but left no trace.
One was used for digging, the other remains a mystery
The first tool, made from alder, measures about 81 centimeters. One end is split and worn, suggesting it served as a digging stick or multipurpose tool. Researchers believe it was used for working the soil near the lakeshore, or possibly stripping bark.
The second object is much smaller, just 5.7 centimeters. It’s fully stripped of bark, with one rounded end marked by small pits. Its exact function is unclear, but researchers suggest it may have helped shape other materials or make stone tools.
Both survived thanks to an unusually favorable environment. Wet, low-oxygen soil preserved the wood better than typical. That’s why prehistoric wooden tools are so rare—unlike stone or bone, wood usually decomposes completely over thousands of years.
Evidence for the earliest hominin use of wooden handheld tools found at Marathousa 1 (Greece)https://t.co/Tr13K1YZ5P https://t.co/UvpqcFIIiU pic.twitter.com/zFOoVzlx27
— Peter Voegele (@Voegizug) February 1, 2026
The lakeshore held more than water. It was full of life and food
Marathousa 1 was no ordinary site. Evidence shows it was a lakeside hub where animals, humans, and predators gathered. Researchers uncovered not just wooden tools, but stone artifacts, worked bones, and remains of large animals like elephants—suggesting it was a butchering spot.
“The earliest reliable evidence of targeted technological use of plants dates to exactly this period,” said paleoanthropologist Katerina Harvati of the University of Tübingen.
It might seem surprising for a cold glacial phase in Europe, with its harsh conditions. Yet the lakeside offered water, food, and survival-friendly spots. Animal remains confirm it was a thriving ecosystem, not barren wasteland.
Another detail: one wood piece bore deep grooves from a large carnivore, likely a bear—not humans. The area wasn’t hominin territory alone; resource competition was fierce.
Scientists still do not know who made these tools
The tools predate Homo sapiens by 130,000 years. No modern human link, and no human remains were found, so makers remain unknown.
Possible candidates: Homo heidelbergensis or early Neanderthals. Clearly, these hominins worked materials deliberately for tasks. Stone and bone tools from the site show a broader toolkit than stone alone.
This find pushes back the history of wooden tools
Prehistoric wooden tools are known from Britain, Zambia, Germany, and China—weapons, diggers, handles. But Marathousa 1’s are the oldest handheld examples.
An older case exists at Zambia’s Kalambo Falls (476,000 years), but that was structural wood, not handheld. The Greek find thus marks the earliest handheld tools, filling a gap in southeastern Europe. It also highlights biases in the record: stone survives, but ancestors used more.
The microscope revealed signs of human workmanship
Microscopic analysis showed cuts, chop marks, and use-wear distinct from natural or animal damage.
“Unlike stones, wooden objects require special conditions to survive over long periods of time,” said Annemieke Milks of the University of Reading, an expert on early wooden tools.
This proved they were shaped and used by hominins—not just old wood. Excavations ran 2013–2019; the larger tool turned up in 2015, the smaller in 2018.
