Chopping Tool

As a chopping tool or Hack tool are called scree devices that are typical of the earliest section of the Paleolithic, which is called Early Stone Age in Africa, Europe and Asia Lower Palaeolithic. In contrast to the one-sided trimmed choppers (percussion negatives are restricted to an area ) is the cutting edge of the chopping tools from both sides squared ( negative impact on both surfaces ).

History of Research

The distinction between choppers and chopping tools was introduced by the American archaeologist Hallam Movius Leonard in 1948. This described the eponymous Movius line dissemination bifacieller stone implements, which he distinguished chopping tools and bifaces technologically and after their shape concept. Mary Leakey, the Ausgräberin the Hominidenfundplätze in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, however, described the chopping tools as " proto- Two pus " and thus as a precursor to the later, more technologically advanced real bifaces. The oldest true bifaces in Africa about 1.6 million years old and mark the beginning of Acheuléens.

Temporal and regional distribution

The oldest chopping tools from Africa (mainly from sites in Ethiopia and Tanzania, see article on Oldowan ). There chopping tools are particularly characteristic of the " developed Oldowan ". This more advanced stage of the Oldowan is characterized by a return to the previously dominant proliferation of choppers ( " predominance of choppers " ) and by an increasing spread of chopping tools. The developed Oldowan was discussed therefore belonging in the past already as to the subsequent Acheulean. In addition, however Chopping tools are also known from younger sites, eg from Zhoukoudian near Beijing (China) in connection with the Peking man. Chance also exist sites in Europe, such as the Georgian hominins - find spot or reference Dmanisi Vertesszöllös in western Hungary.

Range of types and use

The most important criterion for recognition chopping tools is the presence of an intentional, existing on both sides of retouching. Of the chopping tools, there are various types, for example, tools in which the cutting edge is formed by a respective mutually attached or two opposite Negative; Chopping tools with oblique negatives or with wavy extending cutting and artifacts with wavelength, to a point of expiring highlighting (this type of artifacts then forms the transition to the hand ax ). The different characteristics of the chopping tools mainly result from the fact that the development of the earliest stone industries took place in very large, wide areas. Technological innovations have been discovered independently in different centers, resulting in a sometimes very diverse types of splitting.

In size Chopping tools vary from small, with two or three fingers to leading exemplars to big chop devices that are to lead with both hands. They were used for whipping ( the splitting of hard-shelled plant food or for breaking bones to get at the marrow), cutting, sawing, scraping and battles. The existence of chopping tools, for example in Zhoukoudian (see above) provided the evidence that the Peking Man was a meat eater, just because those tools were found in association with large amounts of faunal remains.