By continuously experimenting and by observing those few contemporary populations where stone tools are still made, experimental archaeologists gain insights in how ancient stone tools very likely were made as well. Things can get technical very quickly, yet also exciting.

When stone tools are made and lots of steps are required, a lot of waste material is produced. This waste, known by the French term of debitage, often collects at the feet of the tool maker, where it was left.

Using these fragments as pieces of a very old three-dimensional puzzle, stone tool experts have been able to reconstruct the stages in which an actual stone tool was once made. This is not an estimate, but rather the step-by-step reconstruction of the sequence in which each flake was chipped off the original stone.

In some extraordinary cases, researchers can look at stone tools and determine not only the manufacturing process of that particular tool, but also establish whether the person who made it was left-handed.  The angles under which the debitage was removed from the core produced this extraordinary insight. 

In this regard, the work of these stone tool specialists not only requires a lot of patience, but it also approximates approach taken by detectives. With patience, careful observation, reasoning, and in some cases, advanced technology, you can see how it is possible, and very rewarding, to reconstruct ancient hominid behavior.