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FINEST NEANDERTHAL MASTERPIECE MOUSTERIAN FLINT HAND AXE FROM FRANCE Rock Shelter - Dordogne (Sarlat), France MIDDLE PALEOLITHIC PERIOD (MOUSTERIAN): 80,000 - 40,000 years ago This authentic and premium quality handaxe was fashioned by Neanderthals over 40,000 years ago out of flint and discovered in the world famous region of Dordogne, France, considered to be the "Capitol of Prehistory". The site this specimen was excavated from is now closed and protected by the government. This rare artifact came from an old European collection and was was legally collected long before a ban was enacted to forbid any further public digging. Dordogne is one of the world's most famous Neanderthal regions and the fact that this archeological site is off-limits to any collecting, makes this stone tool artifact exceedingly rare and a prime candidate for investment value appreciation over the years to come! France is most famous for its Neanderthal sites, as well as its prehistoric human history. Fine quality and aesthetic Lower and Middle Paleolithic handaxes from France have become insanely desired by European collectors since the ban on digging in 1986. Specimens like this will continue to be sought after by collectors as fewer and fewer fine examples can be found available for sale, driving up prices steadily over time. The form and execution of this extraordinary handaxe is absolutely the finest one could ask for regarding a AMYGDALOID MOUSTERIAN handaxe using the Levallois Technique. Unlike their much larger predecessors of the Acheulian, Mousterian handaxes are much smaller in comparison. Not only are Mousterian handaxes considered some of the rarest and most prized tools of the Neanderthals, this exquisite representation is a perfectly executed bifacial example. This rare specimen is thin and entire surface on both sides exhibits extensive flaking to follow the specific amygdaloid design. The edges running around the entire perimeter are extremely sharp as made and demonstrate very refined secondary retouching by its original Neanderthal maker. The sum of these features indicate a HIGHLY SKILLED Neanderthal craftsperson that fashioned this superb and truly MUSEUM GRADE specimen. Heavy, glossy patina on one side from long-term partial exposure with one face laying down in the soil. Microscopic examination reveals mineral deposits and patina in all hinge fractures - a feature only found in AUTHENTIC Paleolithic tools. This specimen is the finest shaped specimen we could offer and is the quintessential example of the high level of Neanderthal workmanship in a stone flaked tool! NO RESTORATION, REPAIR OR MODERN DAMAGE. The Levallois Technique is a method of flake tool manufacture that was first employed in the Acheulian Era about 250,000 years ago by archaic Homo sapiens but perfected in the Middle Paleolithic Era by Neanderthals. It consists of starting with a core of stone and using heavy percussion hammering on one side to remove large flakes in a radial fashion, creating a "turtle-back" profile on one side of the core. A single heavy blow at one end of the core struck the flake off and the end result was a prepared flake (a la Levallois) with a convex shape on one side (from initial flake removal when still attached to the core) and a flat side on the other (from the side split off the remaining core). Edges of this struck flake were then retouched to create the desired cutting edge but the geometry of the two sides remained. It was the Levallois method employed by Neanderthals to manufacture a variety of early tools including the first points that were hafted to wooden poles for use as spears. The MOUSTERIAN tool tradition gets its name from artifacts discovered at a primitive rock shelter named Le Moustier located in southwestern France. Compared to the bulkier tools of the Acheulian produced by the Levallois technique, Mousterian tools are comprised of smaller flakes from an exhaustively worked core which are then retouched on the edges to make a large variety of tools. These tools are not only smaller than Acheulian specimens, but they are more specialized for their various tasks. Mousterian tools can be broadly put into four classes: 1) SAWS (Denticulate Tools) and KNIVES, 2) SCRAPERS 3) BORERS 4) HANDAXES, CHOPPERS and CLEAVERS. Mousterian tool-makers were the primitive humans knows as the NEANDERTHALS. Neanderthals had massive skeletons and teeth, flat foreheads and heavy brow ridges. Their skulls were larger than a modern man and contained an average brain capacity of 1500 cc, averaging slightly larger than humans of today. SUPERBLY MADE NEANDERTHAL HAND AXE OF THE FINEST POSSIBLE FLAKING AND FORM SITE NOW PROTECTED AND NO COLLECTING HAS BEEN ALLOWED SINCE 1986 TRANSLATES INTO STEADY PRICE APPRECIATION 3.5" in length SOLD M225 Actual Item - One Only |
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