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It can be difficult to distinguish the differences between actual man-made lithic artifacts and geofacts – naturally occurring lithics which resemble man-made tools. It is possible to authenticate artifacts by examining the general characteristics which are attributed to man-made tools and the local characteristics attributed to the site.

The early paleolithic hominids, Australopithecus, were the first users of stone tools. Excavations in Gona, Ethiopia have produced thousands of artifacts, and through radioisotopic dating and magnetostratigraphy, the sites can be firmly dated to 2.6 million years ago. Evidence shows these early hominids intentionally selected raw materials with good flaking qualities and chose appropriate sized stones for their needs to produce sharp-edged tools for cutting.