Final answer:
Early Homo species, such as Homo habilis and Homo erectus, engaged in both hunting and gathering, with women playing a crucial role in the latter. Tools such as the Oldowan choppers and later blade tools were vital for these activities. Scavenging played a significant role before advanced hunting technologies, and while the specifics of tool storage are not well-documented, it is likely that early hominins practiced some form of tool conservation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The early Homo species, including Homo habilis and Homo erectus, depicted complex behaviors regarding hunting, tool use, and scavenging. Evidence suggests that while men may have primarily engaged in hunting activities, the role of women, particularly in gathering, was equally pivotal to human survival and development. Findings like well-worn molars in early hominid skulls suggest a diet rich in gritty plant materials, nuts, seeds, and tough fruits, indicating that gathering was probably the primary means of subsistence for our ancestors.
In terms of tools, early Homo habilis created Oldowan tools roughly 2.5 million years ago, while Homo sapiens later developed a more sophisticated blade tool industry. These tools were essential not only for hunting and processing meat but also potentially for gathering purposes, such as making digging sticks or breaking open hard shells. Nevertheless, many organic tools likely used for gathering have decomposed and are therefore absent from the fossil record. Scavenging was also an important aspect of early hominin behavior. Before the development of sophisticated hunting technologies, hominins likely scavenged carcasses, using stone tools to butcher meat from animals that they did not necessarily kill themselves. As for tool storage and conservation, the archaeological evidence is less clear, but it's reasonable to surmise that early Homo species might have designated areas for toolmaking and may have reused or carried tools with them as needed.