- Archaeological News
-
Image Credit: Xinhua News Agency
Advanced Paleolithic Blade Tools Identified at Kenya Lake Bogoria
A joint archaeological mission from China and Kenya has identified advanced stone tools featuring blade technology from the middle to late Paleolithic period at the Lake Bogoria. The find represents the first documented evidence of this technology at the site and offers important new material for understanding technological innovation in early human history.
The discovery was announced during a conference presenting recent archaeological results from Henan Province, highlighting the outcomes of collaborative fieldwork conducted in Kenya’s Rift Valley region. Lake Bogoria lies within the Great Rift Valley, an area long recognized as central to research on early human origins.
Excavations at the site covered approximately 64 square meters and reached depths of up to 3.6 meters. Archaeologists recovered more than 5,000 stone artifacts and animal fossils, including a series of stone blades produced using sophisticated reduction techniques. Blade technology is widely regarded as a major development in Paleolithic toolmaking, allowing for lighter, more standardized, and more easily reworked tools than earlier forms.
The presence of well-preserved stratified deposits strengthens the value of the discovery for studying the origins and spread of blade and bladelet technologies, as well as their relationship to early modern humans. The abundance of animal remains also suggests favorable preservation conditions, increasing the potential for future discoveries at the site.
Further excavations and expanded surveys are planned across the wider Baringo region, with the aim of building a clearer picture of technological change and human activity in East Africa during the Paleolithic.
Published on: 09-01-2026
Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie
Source: Xinhua News Agency