A stone tool used as a hammer, particularly by archaeologists to refer to prehistoric stones used for striking or shaping other stones.
Compound of 'hammer' and 'stone' (Old English), a descriptive archaeological term for the oldest human tools predating metal metallurgy.
Hammerstones appear in archaeological sites over 2 million years old—they're among humanity's first tools, and examining wear patterns on ancient stones reveals how our ancestors learned precision and force control.
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