Archaeologists have reported the discovery of two ancient wooden tools near the shore of an old lake in the Megalopolis basin of southern Greece. The tools are estimated to be about 430,000 years old, making them the oldest wooden tools known so far. The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. One artifact is a thin wooden stick about 80 centimeters long and was likely used for digging in soft ground. The second artifact is a smaller wooden piece made from willow or poplar and may have been used to shape stone tools. Wooden tools are rarely preserved because wood decays easily, which makes this discovery important for understanding early human technology. The age of the tools was identified through geological layers at the site, where stone tools and animal bones with cut marks were also found.

The tools survived because they were quickly buried by sediment and remained in a wet environment, which slowed decay. Researchers noted that similar conditions helped preserve ancient wooden tools found in other regions. No human remains have been discovered at the site, but the tools may have been used by Neanderthals or other early human groups. The discovery provides rare evidence of wooden technology and suggests that more wooden artifacts may still be present at the site.