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Product Description
SEE MORE LOWER PALEOLITHIC ACHEULEAN STONE TOOLS
This MUSEUM-CLASS African Acheulean prehistoric stone tool is a UNIFACIAL SCRAPER BLADE. It was made and used by Homo ergaster (African Homo erectus) and is a large example of the first use of a knife by primitive humans over a half a million years ago! 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 Acheulian tools, only crude pebble tools existed in the human fossil record.
Made in the finest prehistoric workmanship, extensive flaking was performed to give it a refined shape and thinness. Edge photos show extreme wind erosion over original prehistoric secondary flaking once done to sharpen the edges. The original rounded tip and all edges exhibit excellent workmanship and are intact. The original striking platform on the proximal end is also prominent, having served as a grip against the palm when this blade was originally used by its primitive human tool maker.
Acheulean knives from the Sahara are VERY RARE and often overlooked in field collecting therefore, rarely seen in collections. Very seldom seen in private collections, a tool this type is rare from Africa with most Acheulian specimens collected being handaxes. Furthermore, it is a large KNIFE. Acheulian FLAKE TOOLS are much more rare in Africa then Acheulian HAND AXES.
This Lower Paleolithic stone tool was used when there were large elephant and hippopotamus species as well as giraffe species in Africa that primitive humans would have hunted. A tool like this was necessary to butcher such large kills.
HISTORY
FLAKE TOOLS from the SAHARAN ACHEULIAN are much more rare then their Saharan Acheulian HAND AXE counterparts. While handaxes are rather obvious in design and easy to therefore, recognize when collecting on a site, smaller flake tools have less obvious features at first glance and easily blend in with surrounding scrap flakes and natural stones. The vast majority of private collections lack Acheulian Saharan flake tools in comparison to handaxes from the same period. Perfect for use in butchering the large game that thrived in Northern Africa during the days of Homo ergaster.
