The Dawn of Mankind: The Oldowan Revolution and the First Phase of Prehistory
London, UK – December 31, 2025
Today marks the beginning of CJ Global’s “Chronicles of Prehistory,” a daily investigative look into the origins of human civilization.
We begin our journey in the Lower Paleolithic (or Early Stone Age), a period that dawned approximately 3.3 million years ago in the Rift Valley of East Africa.
This was the era of the “Oldowan” industry—the first time a living creature consciously transformed the world around it through technology.
While often dismissed as “primitive,” this first phase represents a profound cognitive leap that laid the groundwork for everything from the discovery of fire to the construction of modern cities.
The Oldowan Industry: More Than Just Stones
The first phase of prehistory is defined by the Oldowan toolkit, named after the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. Unlike the sharpened blades or symmetrical axes of later periods, Oldowan tools were simple “choppers” and “scrapers” created by striking one stone against another.
However, recent archaeological finds have pushed the start date of this phase back to 3.3 million years ago with the discovery of the Lomekwian tools in Kenya.
These tools were not used for hunting—early humans at this stage were primarily scavengers.
Instead, these sharp-edged stones allowed Homo habilis (the “Handy Man”) to access high-protein bone marrow from animal carcasses left behind by larger predators.
This shift in diet is believed by many scientists to have fueled the rapid expansion of the human brain, turning a biological necessity into a technological evolution.
Survival in the East African Cradle
The environment of the Lower Paleolithic was a challenging landscape of fluctuating climates.
Early hominins lived in small, highly mobile bands, moving constantly in search of water and food.
During this first phase, there were no permanent settlements, and “home” was likely a temporary windbreak or a cluster of trees.
Despite the lack of permanent structures, the social structure was already becoming complex.
The “recruitment” of group members for protection and the sharing of scavenged meat required a rudimentary form of symbolic communication.
While full-fledged language was millions of years away, the coordination required to use Oldowan tools suggests that our ancestors were already beginning to think collectively.
The First Global Migration: Out of Africa
While the first phase of prehistory began in Africa, it did not stay there. Approximately 1.8 to 2 million years ago, a new player entered the scene:
Homo erectus. Taller, more efficient walkers, and with larger brains, these early humans began the “First Out of Africa” migration.
These pioneers moved through the Levantine corridor into Eurasia, reaching as far as Southeast Asia (Java) by 1.7 million years ago and Western Europe by 1.2 million years ago.
This migration was a daring leap into unknown climates and predators, proving that even in its earliest phase, humanity possessed an inherent drive to explore and adapt.
Key Highlights of the Lower Paleolithic Phase One:
• The First Tool: The Oldowan “chopper” was the world’s first piece of technology, used primarily for scavenging.
• Brain Expansion: Accessing marrow and high-protein foods through stone tools fueled early human brain growth.
• Homo Habilis & Homo Erectus: The transition from early tool-makers to the first global explorers.
• Nomadic Lifestyle: Survival depended on constant movement and a deep, intimate understanding of the African savanna.
• The 3.3 Million Year Mark: Recent discoveries in Kenya have pushed the history of human tool-making further back than previously thought.
CJ Global Investigative Insight
Our “exclusive secret” from the prehistoric world involves the recent re-analysis of “hearth sites” in Africa.
While the widespread control of fire is usually associated with later periods, chemical analysis of soil at certain 1.5-million-year-old sites suggests that early humans may have been “taming” natural fires much earlier than documented.
This suggests that the first phase of prehistory was not just about stone; it was about the beginning of human control over the elements themselves.
As we conclude this first report, we look at these simple stones not as relics, but as the ancestors of the smartphones and satellites of 2025.
