Archaeology in the Pecan tree holes, enter the hand axes or biface.
The hand axes were produced for millions of years, You could almost call it a technological innovation slump.
Or perhaps it was just such a versatile tool our early ancestors never really thought too much about changing it.
The three pictured below are in progressive stages of manufacture.
These aren't great museum quality specimens, but these are the three that emerged from the holes we dug and adequately display enough features to give a good overview of what hand axes are about.
Handaxes are also called bifaces because they are bifacially worked or in lay terms worked on both sides and then all around the edges.
This is the underside view.
This is the side on view to show how material has been removed on two opposite faces to deliver a thinned out implement.
The two on the right are very crude looking because they were discarded half way through the manufacture process and when one looks at the side view, one can see why. They are to thick and have a large lump or point on one side.
My daughter and I loved your last post about these, I cannot wait to show her this one. She is only 8, but, she already wants to be an archaeologist.
Man, I wish I knew what to look for when it comes to stone that has been worked by ancient man. I live in the northeastern US, right near the confluence of a creek and river, where many Native American tribes lived. I've found a few beads in the creek and I'm sure there are other artifacts, but I doubt I would have noticed something like these samples.
Native American tribes typically fashioned arrow heads and tomahawks, perhaps the odd small biface, all much later technologies.
Handaxes are mostly old world stuff since human ancestors had not crossed to the new world when this tech was prevalent. Africa is of course riddled with them since its the cradle and most of these tech were started and developed here.
Some places are so thick with them in east africa they are counted in millions per acre.
Holy mackerel. For some reason, the "millions of years ago" didn't click when I read this. So these were likely used by Homo erectus, or some other Hominidae species?? That's incredible. I was just telling my wife how crazy that is to think about. Like, the first stone ever picked up by our ancestors and used as a tool is still out there, most likely. I wonder where it sits right now....
Well, my interest is peaked. I would love to own something like this for display. Is there a market for such artifacts? I know Native American ones can be rather expensive in our area. However, with quantities like that which you described, what kind of dollar value is placed on them... assuming there is a market. I suppose I can google all of this, but you seem to know the subject really well.
The first stone tool would be difficult to identify, since chimps use rocks to crack nuts, but I get what you mean.
Price really depends on grade of the specimen. There is one order of magnitude on this for sale page alone.
https://www.paleodirect.com/acheulian-handaxe-acheulean-artifacts-tools/
It is impressive the knowledge so coarse that you have of all these rocks! I would love to understand more about your work and how interesting is all this discovery, in any way thanks for sharing with us
Nice!
Indeed, Human Have Been Progressively Innovative Technologically. From The CRADDLE.
Today's Would Be As 'Crude' as These In the Succeeding Centuries!!
this old fashioned stone is the hardest, superb