Greece Unearths World's Oldest Wooden Tools at 430,000 Years

A slender wooden stick emerged from Greek soil after 430,000 years, rewriting what we know about early human ingenuity.

Archaeologists working at the Marathousa 1 site in Greece's Megalopolis Basin unearthed two wooden tools that represent the oldest wooden artifacts ever discovered worldwide. The finds, detailed in a January 2026 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, survived thanks to rapid burial in oxygen-free wetland sediment near an ancient lakeshore.

The first tool is an 80-centimeter sharpened stick, likely used for digging up roots and tubers from mud. The second is a smaller handheld piece made from willow or poplar wood, possibly used for shaping stone tools or other crafting work.

Wood rarely survives more than a few thousand years because it decays quickly in air and water. These tools only made it to our time because they were buried immediately in sediment that blocked oxygen and bacteria from breaking them down.

The site already held clues about sophisticated ancient life. Previous excavations revealed stone tools and butchered elephant bones from the same period, confirming the 430,000-year timeline.

No human remains have been found yet, so researchers believe the toolmakers were likely early Neanderthals, Homo heidelbergensis, or another ancient human relative. Whoever they were, they possessed advanced skills in selecting materials and crafting tools from multiple sources.

Why This Inspires

These discoveries challenge the old assumption that ancient humans relied almost entirely on stone tools. The Megalopolis finds prove our ancestors used a diverse toolkit combining stone, bone, and wood for hunting, food processing, and daily survival far earlier than previously documented in this region.

Katerina Harvati from the University of Tübingen called the discovery a window into "a little-known aspect of the technology of early humans." Her colleague Annemieke Milks from the University of Reading described the thrill of holding objects last touched by human hands nearly half a million years ago.

The finds join a small group of ancient wooden artifacts, including 300,000 to 400,000-year-old wooden spears from Germany and ancient digging sticks from China. Each discovery helps fill gaps in our understanding of how early humans adapted and thrived.

The excavation site, located in a former coal mine, likely holds more secrets waiting beneath the surface. Researchers believe additional organic remains could reveal even more about daily life during Europe's glacial periods.

Greece continues proving its crucial role in early human migration and innovation across Europe.