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This was struck from the lateral edge of the hand-axe close to the intended cutting area, resulting in the removal of a flake running along (parallel to) the blade of the axe to create a neat and very sharp working edge. This distinctive tranchet flake can be identified amongst flint-knapping debris at Acheulean sites. [citation needed]
A hand axe (or handaxe or Acheulean hand axe) is a prehistoric stone tool with two faces that is the longest-used tool in human history. [1] It is made from stone, usually flint or chert that has been "reduced" and shaped from a larger piece by knapping , or hitting against another stone.
Hand axes found by Marston at Swanscombe in the British Museum (not on display) The area was already known for the finds of numerous Palaeolithic-era handaxes—mostly Acheulean and Clactonian artifacts, some as much as 400,000 years old—when in 1935/1936 work at Barnfield Pit uncovered two fossilised skull fragments.
Acheulean hand axes from Kent. The types shown are (clockwise from top) cordate, ficron and ovate. It was the longest-used tool of human history. The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to prehistoric technology. Prehistoric technology – technology that predates recorded history. History is the study of the past ...
An axe hafted with an adhesive. Hafting is a process by which an artifact, often made of bone, stone, or metal is attached to a haft (handle [1] or strap). This makes the artifact more useful by allowing it to be launched by a bow , thrown by hand , or used with more effective leverage . When constructed properly, hafting can tremendously ...
In Old English, axes were referred to as æces, from which the Modern English word derives. [63] Most axes found in early Anglo-Saxon graves were fairly small with straight or slightly curved blades. [63] Such hand-axes primarily served as tools rather than weapons, but could have been used as the latter if the need arose. [64]
The Saltley handaxe is a quartzite hand axe found in the gravels of the valley of the River Rea in the Saltley area of Birmingham, England in 1890. Believed to be approximately 500,000 years old, [1] it was the first human artifact from the paleolithic era found in the English Midlands, which had previously been considered not to have been inhabited before the end of the last glacial period.
The hand axe is a fine example from about 350,000 years ago, in the Lower Paleolithic period, but its main significance lies in the role it and the circumstances of its excavation played in the emerging understanding of early human history.