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Product Description
ID
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Acheulian Knife
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FOUND
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Exposed Site - Sahara Desert, NW Africa
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AGE
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ACHEULIAN: 1.2 million - 500,000 years
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SIZE
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6" long
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CONDITION
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INTACT AND COMPLETE - NO REPAIR
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NOTE
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EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF AN AFRICAN
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Actual Item - One Only
Comes with a certificate of authenticity / information sheet |
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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ACHEULIAN TOOLS
This RARE African Acheulian prehistoric stone tool is a large UNIFACIAL KNIFE. It was made and used by Homo ergaster (African Homo erectus) and is an uncommonly large example of the first use of a knife by primitive humans over a half a million years ago! It was surface-collected from an exposed Acheulian site in the Northern Sahara Desert of North Africa. This Lower Paleolithic tool represents the first intelligent design type known to science that was made by primitive humans. Prior to these Saharan Acheulian tools, only crude pebble tools existed in the human fossil record.
Very seldom seen in private collections, a tool this type is rare from Africa with most Acheulian specimens collected being handaxes. Furthermore, it is a large KNIFE. It is a type of flake tool, fashioned by a large flake struck from an even larger tool core. Acheulian FLAKE TOOLS are much more rare in Africa then Acheulian HAND AXES. Edge photo shows extreme wind erosion but secondary flaking all down the cutting edge is plainly visible. Even more interesting is the knapped hand grip that has an amazingly intelligent form for a comfortable and secure hold when used.
One of the above photos shows a very pronounced 'bulb of percussion', a feature ONLY found in man-made struck flakes versus by natural forces. The cutting edges of this specimen exhibit excellent workmanship and are intact. Extensive flaking on the edges is evident as is the original striking platform on the proximal end. Acheulian knives from the Sahara are VERY RARE and often overlooked in field collecting and rarely seen in collections. NO REPAIR AND NO RESTORATION.
FLAKE TOOLS from the SAHARAN ACHEULIAN are much more rare then their Saharan Acheulian HANDAXE counterparts. While handaxes are rather obvious in design and easy to therefore, recognize when collecting on a site, smaller flake tools have less obvious features at first glance and easily blend in with surrounding scrap flakes and natural stones. The vast majority of private collections lack Acheulian Saharan flake tools in comparison to handaxes from the same period. Perfect for use in butchering the large game that thrived in Northern Africa during the days of Homo ergaster.
