by 
The Curious Bag
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The Old Stone Age was so named because the tools discovered during excavations were made of stone. Although the first tools were crude and primitive, they served a purpose: to help man conquer his surroundings and the animals living during this time.
History
Homo habilis and Homo erectus were thought by anthropologists to be the first people to make and use stone tools. The tools were made by hitting one stone against another.
Time Frame
The Old Stone Age, also known as the Paleolithic Period, began about 2 million years ago and lasted until around 12,000 years. The oldest tool dates from about 2,600,000 years ago.
Types
Two types of tools were created: core tools, made from a pebble or rock fragment; and flake tools, made from pieces chipped from rock fragments. The chopper, hand ax and flake tools were used by early man.
Function
The chopper was used to hack, mash and cut roots, as well as scrape and break open bones for its marrow. The hand ax was for cutting meat or shaping wood and bone. Flake tools were for cutting and scraping animal hides.
Benefits
Tools aided early man with solving the problem of how to use the entire animal once it was slain--hides for clothing, bones for tools and meat for eating.
Source:
Patricia Netzley; World History Series, The Stone Age; San Diego, CA: Lucent Books; 1998
"Prehistoric People;" World Book. Vol. P-15. Chicago; Scott Fetzer Co.; 2008
"Tools." The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Vol. 28. Chicago; Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.; 2002
Resource:
Old Stone Age
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