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Product Description
SEE MORE ACHEULEAN STONE TOOLS
This Saharan Acheulean handaxe was made and used by Homo ergaster (African Homo erectus). It was surface-collected from an exposed Acheulian site in the Northern Sahara Desert of North Africa. This Lower Paleolithic tool represents the first intelligent design type known to science that was made by primitive humans. Prior to these Saharan Acheulean tools, only crude pebble tools existed in the human fossil record.
You simply can not improve on this SPECTACULAR museum specimen of a cleaver hand axe. If you were to demonstrate what an Acheulian cleaver is in an encyclopedia, no finer example could be shown as this! This is a much lesser found hand axe than any other type of the Acheulian Tradition in the northern Sahara deposits. It is a CLEAVER made on a broad flake with a wide chopping edge on its distal end. In every way, it is a top specimen and no handaxe collection should be without at least one representation of this unique type. THIS IS ONLY THE FOURTH TIME WE HAVE OFFERED THIS TYPE FOR SALE AND THIS ONE IS THE BEST BY FAR!!! This cleaver features a broad and well-made profile and chopping edge. Most ingenious and as proof of the intellect of Homo ergaster (the Sahara version of Homo erectus), this handaxe has been specifically flaked on the proximal end to be held in the LEFT HAND. Holding an axe in the left hand would allow a right handed person to grab and pull flesh, hide and fat from the butchered carcass while the left hand chops it away such as with this cleaver axe. Superb secondary RADIAL flaking workmanship. This is a rare and fine grade reference specimen featuring all the premium features for this period and technology. "Desert varnish" and bi-color patina indicates extreme long-term exposure undisturbed, on one side - traits only found in authentic African Paleolithic artifacts.
During the time of this axe, there were large elephant and hippopotamus species as well as giraffe species in Africa that primitive humans would have hunted. An axe like this was necessary to butcher such large kills.
