An early and enduring advanced technology originating 71,000 years ago in South Africa

Brown, K.S., Marean, C.W., Jacobs, Z., Schoville, B.J., Oestmo, S., Fisher, E.C., Bernatchez, J., Karkanas, P., Matthews, T., 2012. An early and enduring advanced technology originating 71,000 years ago in South Africa. Nature advance online publication.

The earliest microliths found so far, thought be hafted in arrows, these finds bring the complex technological indicators of the emergence of modern human behavior further back towards the anatomical appearance of Homo sapiens.  The authors argue for a complex manufacturing process, including heat treating.  

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nature11660.html - supplementary-information