A hand axe is a prehistoric stone tool with two faces that is the longest-used tool in human history. 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. They are characteristic of the lower Acheulean and middle Palaeolithic (Mousterian) periods, roughly 1.6 million years ago to about 100,000 years ago, and used by Homo erectus and other early humans, but rarely by Homo sapiens.
Flint hand axe found in Winchester
Acheulean hand axes from Kent. The types shown are (clockwise from top) chordate, ficron and ovate.
Typical Acheulean hand axe
The Sima de los Huesos hand axe 15.5 cm (6 in) tall is finely crafted and made out of a rare stone, which may indicate symbolic meaning.
Acheulean, from the French acheuléen after the type site of Saint-Acheul, is an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture characterized by the distinctive oval and pear-shaped "hand axes" associated with Homo erectus and derived species such as Homo heidelbergensis.
A cordiform biface as commonly found in the Acheulean (replica)
Acheulean hand-axes from Kent. The types shown are (clockwise from top) cordate, ficron, and ovate.[citation needed]
An Acheulean handaxe, Haute-Garonne France – MHNT
Acheulean hand-axe from Egypt. Found on a hill top plateau, 1400 feet above sea level, nine miles northwest of the city of Naqada, Egypt. Paleolithic artifact displayed in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology of London
