Oldowan, a.
(ˈɒldəʊwən)
Also Olduwan.
[f. the name of the Oldoway (or Olduvai) Gorge, Tanzania + -an.]
Belonging to an African culture of the early Pleistocene period, characterized by primitive stone tools.
| 1934 L. S. B. Leakey Adam's Ancestors v. 104 In the Kanam deposits we find examples of a culture which has been given the name of Oldowan. This name is derived from Oldoway, the site where this culture was first recognized. 1964 K. P. Oakley Frameworks for dating Fossil Man iv. 172 The oldest known artifacts in the world are the Oldowan pebble-tools which occur in..South Africa, East Africa and North Africa. 1972 [see nut-cracker 5]. 1973 B. J. Williams Evolution & Human Origins xi. 189/2 Even among Olduwan materials (pre-handaxe) there are stone balls that have been rounded and smoothed to a far greater degree than can be explained by any possible functional requirement. |