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Stone tools are the other great proof of human presence in Orce. Barranco León and Fuente Nueva 3 have yielded pieces of the Oldowan, or Mode 1, industry, among the oldest in western Europe, knapped from flint and limestone.
At Fuente Nueva 3, fine-grained limestone makes up around 75% of the material. Most pieces are flakes under 2 cm, struck from a core resting on an anvil or directly with a hammerstone, and large limestone cobbles were used as hammerstones. The site preserves two archaeological levels, something very rare in an Oldowan context.
Fuente Nueva 3 was discovered in 1991 precisely because flint flakes turned up while electricity poles were being installed.
Source: Andalusian Decree 335/2012; Barsky, D. et al., 2024 excavation season at Fuente Nueva 3, Anuario Arqueológico de Andalucía.
