Olduvai handaxe
Lower Palaeolithic, about 1.2 million years
old, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
The first great invention, this tool is
called a handaxe. Handaxes were first made in Olduvai Gorge about
1.5 million years ago.
They were still in use there some 500,000 years ago by which
time their manufacture and use had spread throughout Africa, south
Asia, the Middle East and Europe where they were still
being made 40,000 years ago. They have even been found as far east
as Korea in recent excavations.
No other cultural artefact is known to have been made for such a
long time across such a huge geographical range.
Handaxes are always made from stone and were held in the hand
during use. Many have this characteristic teardrop or pear shape
which might have been inspired by the outline of the human
hand.
This example is made from fine-grained, green volcanic lava
called phonolite. Using a stone hammer, the maker has carefully
struck flakes alternately from both faces around the entire edge,
making it thinner at the tip and thicker and heavier at the bottom
with a regular edge all round. This requires a skilful, well
co-ordinated use of force.
Although handaxes were used for a variety of everyday tasks
including all aspects of skinning and butchering an animal or
working other materials such as wood, this example is much bigger
than the usual useful size of such hand held tools.
Despite its symmetry and regular edges it appears difficult to
use easily. As language began to develop along with tool making,
was this handaxe made to suggest ideas?
Does the care and craftsmanship with which it was made indicate
the beginnings of the artistic sense unique to humans?
