Product Description
ID
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Acheulian Tool
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FOUND
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Exposed Site - Sahara Desert,
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AGE
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ACHEULIAN: 1.2 million - 500,000 years
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SIZE
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8.25" long x 5.4" wide
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CONDITION
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INTACT AND COMPLETE - NO REPAIR
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NOTE
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FINEST MUSEUM EXAMPLE OF AN
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Actual Item - One Only
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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ACHEULIAN 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 large game butchering hand axe. Made on a massive unifacial flake, this is a UNIFACIAL TRIANGULAR HAND AXE made in the Acheulian Tradition. It is of an unusually large size and most definitely was intended to butcher the large game that lived in the region during the Lower Paleolithic (Pleistocene Period). Its sharp pointed tip and triangular cutting edges would have aided tasks such as dismembering large hunted game, as well as smash open major bones to access the nourishing marrow inside. This hand axe 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 flaking workmanship can be seen all along both edges. A flat flaked facet on the grip allowed for comfort against the palm when held and used. "Desert varnish" and bi-color patina indicates extreme long-term exposure undisturbed, on one side - traits only found in authentic Acheulian artifacts. This is a rare and fine grade reference specimen featuring all the premium features for this period and technology. NO REPAIR AND NO RESTORATION.
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.