How the ability to make stone cutting tools helped homo habilis?
Man had to get smart to survive. Man did not have strong claws
to help them fight. They could not outrun early tigers or cave
lions. The Homo habilis man is credited with inventing stone tools
to help live more comfortably, and to better protect themselves
against the many carnivore (meat eating) animals of the time.
These tools are very simple, and comprise a core, the scarred
center of rock that results from the obsidian. These cores, while
simple, had sharp, cutting edges, and could be used for many
purposes. Tool making allowed more efficiency in obtaining meat for
their diets and once fire was discovered, more advanced tools were
made and it was possible to cook meat and vegetables, which allowed
for the body to obtain the nutrients more efficiently from the
food.
In addition, the reliance on tools increased as the implements
became more useful. By 400,000 years ago, major Homo erectus sites
commonly had tens of thousands of stone tools. There are two main
categories of tools in the Old wan tradition. There were stone
cobbles with several flakes knocked off usually at one end by heavy
blows from another rock used as a hammer.
This produced a jagged tool that fit easily in the hand. These
core tools most likely functioned as hammering, chopping or digging
implements. Probably the most important tools were sharp-edged
stone flakes produced in the process of making the core tools. The
simple flake tools were used without further modification as
knives.