At http://phys.org/print371923822.html … and at http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.co.uk … we have a pile of split stones laid out on display – with apparently, sharp edges. They are said to have been found scattered across a gravel surface but deep underground on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi during a deep excavation in 2009. They were subsequently dated and are said to be 118,000 years old – research is published in Nature. The big question – is there a link to the peopling of Australia?
Reading further the stones come from four different locations. The question of identity has raised the possibility ancestors of the Hobbits were on Sulawese – but most scientists are more realistic and see Homo erectus or the Denisovan strain as responsible. The excavation is ongoing – so more will be revealed.
We might add of course it is always difficult to tell from a photo if a stone has been worked or not – but there are tell tale signs up close and presumably these are there in order for the archaeologists to be confident in their findings.