However, they differ greatly in the size of their brains and the sophistication of their technology. They are similar because both walked upright and used tools. The ancestor and the archaeologist are separated by almost two million years.
Is it having objects that makes us human? This stone tells two stories: one about the fossil ancestor who made the tool and the other about the fossil hunter who found it. It is one of the most memorable experiences of my time at the Museum.īy Professor Clive Gamble, Archaeologist, Royal Holloway University of London It was the same for many of our visitors who handled the chopping tool. In a letter written to the Museum, a visitor said: ‘The opportunity to hold one of the oldest human artefacts was a unique feeling, and I can honestly say that I have rarely found an object fit so neatly into my hand’. Some were sceptical: was it really made by man and not a piece of rock? I was able to show the visitors the sharp and uniform cutting edge and discuss with them the possibility of how it could have been made by deliberately knocking flakes off the sides using a hard stone a bit like a hammer. Most of our visitors were just as excited as I was at being able to hold something that was so old.
I was one of a team of volunteers which helped visitors to the Museum handle this object. I never thought I would have the opportunity to handle something made nearly 2 million years ago. When you look at this object you might ask yourself what is it and why is it in the Museum? If you were able to hold it in your hand as I did in 2005 and find how comfortably it fits into your palm (like a computer mouse!), you would know straight away that this was made to be held by a person.
By Kusuma Barnett, Head of Volunteers, British Museum
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