Photographs and drawings of gigantic ivory fragments shaped as “point” (1, 1a), a “nucleus” (2, 2a) and an unmatched ivory fragment (3,3A). Credit: Stepanchuk and Naumenko, 2025
Bone tools have been created by homes for millions of years, with the first evidence of the manufacture of bone tools of form deliberately dating from around 1.4 to 0.7 million years in Ethiopia. In Europe, the first evidence of the production of bone tools date back to the Middle Pleistocene during the stadium of marine isotopes (put) 11.
The oldest proof of the ivory change dates from around 120,000 years ago. However, a recent study by Dr. Vadim Stepanchuk and Dr Oleksandr O. Naumenko published in the International newspaper of osteoarchaeology On the ivory artefacts of the Lower Paleolithic site of Medzhibozh A in Ukraine, repels the first known use of ivory as a tool for manufacturing tools approximately 400,000 years ago.
Medzhibozh A archaeological site is one of the multiple paleolithic sites located in the southern bug river valley near the city of Medzhybizh, in Ukraine. It was discovered in 2011 and has since made an intermittent investigation until 2018.
The site extends over a long history of occupation of hominines, with the oldest cultural strata dated 35-21 and the youngest to 11.
A total of 24 ivory fragments were recovered from Medzhibozh A layers I, II, III and V. on the basis of the dating, geology and paleontology of electronic spin resonance (ESR), the upper layers from which these ivory artefacts are dated approximately 400,000 years ago.
Dr. Stepanchuk says: “Ivory fragments were identified during the laboratory analysis of the ordinary wildlife recovered from the upper layers of the Medzhibozh site. It is a lower paleolithic site which produced sections of cuts. Has caused a more in -depth exam.”
It was determined that out of the 24 ivory fragments, 11 showed signs of intentional modifications, six showed proof of schooling, three were used for the Knowning Bipolar on Anvil, two were classified as a flakes, one was classified as a “point” and a “nucleus”.
The artifacts of the type and nucleus were the two ivory fragments with the clearest evidence of an intentional modification.
“The miniature ivory pieces of Medzhibozh A are rare even in the upper Paleolithic contexts and work poorly compared to similar stone tools because of their hardness and their weak fragility. Raudes doubts about their practical objective,” explains Dr Stepanchuk.
Despite the limits of Ivory as a tool for manufacturing tools, Medzhibozh’s results indicate that these ivory fragments were deliberately worked. In addition, they provide the clearest proof of the production of ivory tools thousands of years earlier than we thought.
Dr. Stepanchuk is developing on the oldest known ivory artefacts before the discovery of Medzhibozh ivory tools, saying: “Ivory begins to be largely and variously used from the Upper Paleolithic – mainly for tools and ornaments, about 40,000 years ago.
“In some Neanderthal contexts dated approximately 120,000 years ago, there are occasional discoveries suggesting use or a change. For example, on the Neanderthal site of Zaskalnaya V (Crimea), we have documented a pointed fragment made from Mammoth Ivory.”
Researchers suggest that the creation of Medzhibozh ivory artefacts may have been driven by a situational shortage of high-quality lithic raw materials and perhaps as an experimental attempt to test unorthodox materials using conventional cutting techniques, which are generally reserved for stone.
This is supported by the fact that ivory artefacts have treatment techniques similar to those found on nearby stone tools, including the use of the bipolar tile on Anvil, rotation, edge and touch -up.
Dr. Stepanchuk and Dr. Naumenko also have an additional hypothesis suggesting that these elements can be linked to socialization processes within the first societies.
Dr. Stepanchuk is developing, saying: “We suggest that they can represent an imitative behavior, perhaps by children, imitating the adult Trébrant in the context of early social learning. The goal, in this case, was not a functional tool, but rather a tool of” claim “- an object of play or a training piece.”
The authors warn that there is an incorrect dating potential of the layer bearing artifacts and that the characteristics specific to the artifact can be the result of natural processes.
However, they argue that it is unlikely that the ivory artefacts of the diapers put to 11 dates represent artifacts reworked of the younger layers. In addition, the complexity of the treatment sequence indicates intentionality in the modification of these artifacts, which makes it improbable that they result from natural processes or were by-products accessory for unpertified utility activities.
More information:
Vadim N. Stepanchuk et al, the first proof of deliberate ivory treatment dates back approximately 0.4 million years, International newspaper of osteoarchaeology (2025). DOI: 10.1002 / OA.3403
© 2025 Science X Network
Quote: First proof of the production of ivory tools discovered in Ukraine, dating from 400,000 years (2025, April 10) recovered on April 11, 2025 from
This document is subject to copyright. In addition to any fair program for private or research purposes, no part can be reproduced without written authorization. The content is provided only for information purposes.
