Archaeologists uncover 400,000-year-old early human 'tool kit' inside cave

Tel Aviv University researchers find 400,000-year-old sharp utensils with specific functions. The 'recycled' tools were then used with precision to perform specific tasks involved in the processing of animal products and vegetal materials.

Qesem Cave, just outside Israel's biggest city, Tel Aviv, was uncovered during road building in 2000. It has since been a source of countless insights into life in the region, hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Archaeologists working in similar caves in Spain and northern Africa have also unearthed evidence that prehistoric humans recycled objects they used in daily life, to repurpose them for more specialised tasks.