Oldest handheld wooden tools ever? Ancient artifacts preserved in mud mystify archaeologists

08 Feb 2026 By foxnews

Archaeologists uncovered what they believe are the oldest wooden tools ever discovered, dating back hundreds of thousands of years, according to a new study.

The tools were found in Greece's Megalopolis basin, a low-lying valley in southern Greece's Peloponnese peninsula.

Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in late January, the study estimates the tools could be around 430,000 years old, though the exact age is unknown.

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The tools "represent the earliest handheld wooden tools and include a new tool type," according to an abstract of the study obtained by Fox News Digital.

The finds "demonstrate the importance of systematic investigation of early wood remains," the abstract also says.

The area where the tools were found was covered by wetlands and lakes hundreds of thousands of years ago.

One of them - a stick - measures around 2½ feet long. It was likely used for digging in mud, while the other is a small handheld chunk of wood that may have been used to shape stone tools.

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Because wood rots very quickly, few ancient tools of this type survive.

The recently found tools were covered in sediment and preserved by the surrounding wet environment.

Modern humans didn't exist back then, leading scientists to believe the tools may have been used by Neanderthals or other early human ancestors.

Annemieke Milks, an archaeologist at the University of Reading and author of the study, said she was "thrilled to be able to touch these objects."

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Another archaeologist was cautious about the find.

Jarod Hutson of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History told The Associated Press the tools' purposes remain unclear.

"It's difficult to get excited about these because they don't strike you immediately as wooden tools," cautioned Hutson, who was not involved in the study.

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"We don't know what they were used for."

The artifact joins other prehistoric finds that have surprised archaeologists in recent months.

Last month, archaeologists announced the discovery of cave art dating back about 68,000 years in a cave on a tropical island in central Indonesia.

Researchers also recently identified the oldest-known poisoned arrowheads, estimating that they are roughly 60,000 years old.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.