Excavations have found inroads into very ancient times. Archeology has revealed the secrets preserved by the earth in its crust. Excavations of tools help us understand the nature of production and the aesthetic standards of the period to which they belong.

The particular period and appeal of a handicraft item can be gauged from the number of industries, technique of production, types of goods produced and materials used. This state reflects the aesthetic sense of the people, curvature of objects, lines, space, light and shades. An examination of the visual arts, such as sculpture, paintings and terra-cotta unveil the element of art. Not all crafts were produced for daily needs.

Tools used today reflect the traditions of the early age, as old as the Stone Age. The rural and tribal artisans use processes and techniques inherited by them from their forefathers in the creation of their crafts. Though the tools used in that age were mainly for survival purposes, the making of these tools required considerable amount of skill.

The Stone Age man adopted the 'hammer stone' method to make flake tools. This require striking the mass stone near the edge at an angle of 120 degrees with the convex surface of a water worn pebble selected as hammer stone. This was perfected and put to use in the making of hand axes. Tools are a very important component of this art. This is the beginning of the age long tradition of handicrafts.