Basic Tool making traditions

Anthropologists recognize five basic tool making traditions as arising and often co-existing from more than 2.5 million years ago.

The chopper tradition- known as Oldowan found in Africa producing crude shopping tools and simple flake tools.

The biface or hand axe tradition found in Africa,Western and Southern Europe and South Asia producing pointed hand axes,chipped on both faces for cutting.

The flake tradition found in Africa and Europe producing small cutting and flaking tools.

The blade tradition a more efficient technology characteristic of the Upper Paleolithic found across Eurasia to Siberia and North Africa producing many usable blades from a single stone.

The microlithic tradition found throughout the inhabited world producing specialized small tools for use as projectile points in carving softer materials and in making more complex tools.