Ave!

Acheulean Handaxe, Bi-faced, ca. 130,000 B.C.

Flint; 12CM long x 4CM thick / 0.315KG

Con/ As Knapped; see the photos for the awesome colors

Provenance/ Ex-David MacDonald collection, acquired in the 1970's from the heirs of a 19th Century English gentleman who collected it in France

Seller's Note/ This exceptional and truly beautiful example exhibits a special feature, an ergonomic grip. Nearly all ancient hand tools have one, and the trick is to simple hold it in your hand to find it. On ours, the grip is obvious! The fellow who knapped this flint handaxe was a master and knew exactly what he wanted and, with just one blow, created the large divot for his thumb! Another factoid is that all such tools were designed to be used with the right hand.

The most astonishing thing is that this extraordinary handaxe was most likely fashioned by a Neanderthal man. Not sure about you, but I've never held in my hand, nor imagined, holding an authentic Neanderthal artifact. How about you?

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