These are good examples of tools of the stone age.

History of the Object

The earliest appearance of stone tool technology in Southeast Asia is widely contested. Carbon dating from mainland cave sites identifies some stone tools at about 40,000 years old, but other dating methods have identified tools that are several million years old. It is possible to date sites by the kind of tools found there. In the period of up to 14,000 years ago, most stone tools were simple: flaked edge cutting and chopping. As people began to settle and form more sophisticated cultures, the tools reflect this shift, so we see tools suitable for agriculture and farming, a sinker for a fishing net and also ritual and decorative objects, such as stone arm rings. Later stone tools were often made by grinding rather than flaking.