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RARE GRADE 10 MOUSTERIAN QUARTZITE OVATE BIFACIAL HANDAXE FROM THE NORTH SAHARA Exposed Site - Algerian Sahara Desert, North Africa MIDDLE PALEOLITHIC PERIOD (MOUSTERIAN): 80,000 - 40,000 years ago This handaxe was fashioned out of quartzite in the Mousterian tradition and used by primitive humans between approximately 80,000 and 40,000 years ago. It was collected from an exposed Mousterian site in the Algerian Sahara Desert of North Africa. The tool tradition of the Neanderthals is called the Mousterian Tradition. The Mousterian Tool Culture is found in one of the longest and most spectacular sequences in the whole of North Africa. Several open and cave sites are documented. Oddly, the North African Mousterian technology appears as fully developed unlike the gradual formative stages found in Europe. Evidence suggests that North Africa was populated by Neanderthals moving down from southern Europe in pursuit of hunting migrating populations of certain Euro-Asiatic animals of the period, as they entered northern Africa. This is a masterfully executed bifacial ovate Mousterian handaxe of the finest possible quality and condition. The refined shaping and secondary flaking on both sides is of the most advanced form for this tool tradition. The form and execution of this extraordinary handaxe must be held to be appreciated. Unlike their much larger predecessors of the Sahara during the Acheulian, Mousterian handaxes are much smaller in comparison. This rare specimen displays all edges and sharp tip without modern damage. This axe possesses natural desert wind erosion along with bi-color patina - traits of an authentic Paleolithic Saharan artifact caused by long-term exposure on one side as it lay undisturbed, exposed for millennia. In "as found" ORIGINAL condition with NO REPAIR AND NO RESTORATION. 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. RARE - ONE OF THE BEST MOUSTERIAN SAHARAN HANDAXES WE HAVE OFFERED - GRADE 10 EXAMPLE!!! 4" in length x 2.75" wide $695 M229 Actual Item - One Only |
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