Chinese archaeologists have found a wooden club used by Paleolithic ape men dated back to 700,000 years ago in east China's Shandong Province, thus supporting the theory that men used both stone and wood implements in the Stone Age.

It was learnt on October 17 that the 61-centimeter-long club with an diameter of 9 centimeters was found in a soil layer of Paleolithic age in Linyi, a city in southeast of Jinan, the provincial capital.

The partially deteriorated implement shows clear signs of wear on its surface. The inside of the club is filled with a gray-green powder, and the growth ring is also distinguishable.

After preliminary examination, archaeologists decided that the club was used by ape men for self-protection and hunting.

Other Paleolithic tools were unearthed along with the club. Archaeologists working on the spot believe the area was inhabited by Paleolithic ape men and expected to find more relics there.

Geologists said the club survived for so long due to its burial under six meters of earth, and a base of limestone beneath it that saved it from water erosion.

(Xinhua News Agency 10/17/2001)