Archaeologists in Denbighshire, UK, have unearthed stone tools that date back to about 2,000 BC. The discovery was made at the bottom of an ancient stream bed at the Clwydian range hillforts, while the Clwydian Range Archaeology Group (CRAG) was excavating an area between the Moel Arthur and Penycloddiau.

The tools are made from the local limestone and come in a range of sizes. They were probably used for pecking at something, possibly rock faces, as they have battering on the end, said Ian Brooks, a professional archaeologist employed by CRAG. He also said that this is the first time himself or his colleagues had seen that type of stone tool.

In previous excavations researchers had found burnt stones, used for boiling water, and an oven from about 5,000 BC. Radiocarbon dating shows that the site was used as far back as the Neolithic and possibly the Mesolithic times, according to Denbighshire county archaeologist Fiona Gale. She said that the tools are evidence that people were there a long time before the Iron Age hillfort, possibly 8,000 years ago.