AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR
CANADIAN DOLLAR
EURO
POUND STERLING
US DOLLAR
Product Description
Featuring some of the best flaking and workmanship we have seen in specimens this size, this Mousterian hand axe was made by Neanderthals over 40,000 years ago out of flint and collected from a former Neanderthal occupation site in France, considered to be the "Capitol of Prehistory". It possesses exceptional Neanderthal workmanship with expert bifacial flaking.
A prominent flaked grip can be seen on the proximal end, making holding it very comfortable. A classic zig-zag edge runs all around the circumference as a result from alternating strikes by its Neanderthal maker. One side features a stunning centripetal flaking pattern where this biface was struck from all directions on the edge, creating a tiny island in the center as flakes were taken from a radial pattern from every direction. This shows an extremely advanced level of skill in the Neanderthal human that made this supreme hand axe!
There is no modern or ancient damage to this prize piece. A Beautiful bi-colored natural patina is a testament to its extreme long-term burial for millennia. The entire surface features a naturally lustrous soil sheen. Authenticity is evidenced by the presence of sediment deep in hinge fractures and microscopic crevices.
The site this specimen was collected from is now closed and protected by the government. The fact that this archeological site is off-limits to any collecting, makes this wonderful stone tool exceedingly rare and desirable!
Fine quality Mousterian Neanderthal tools are rare and often move from one private collection to the next as most sites are now depleted, destroyed, built over and all are protected by law forbidding modern day digging. It is probable by simple logistics, that over time, high grade archeological tools will most definitely appreciate as collector demand continues to outpace the finite supply circulating among collectors that buy pieces and never resell. Investment aside, no Paleolithic collection should be without representative tools of one of the most famous primitive humans in history!
Unlike their much larger predecessors of the Sahara during the Acheulian, Mousterian handaxes are much smaller in comparison. Mousterian hand axes are the most prized stone tools of the Neanderthals.
