Hand axe
The hand ax is a two-sided stone processed machine and is therefore also called two- pus (French: Biface ) refers. Bifaces have a circular base, the opposite side is trimmed pointed. While they are very large ( > 20 cm) were initially, they were smaller in succeeding periods. Also the processing became more elaborate.
Bifaces are the leading form of the Acheulean, which begins in Africa about 1.5 million years. After the two million year old choppers and chopping tools of the Oldowan culture hand-axes are the oldest known tools of the genus Homo. As the first manufacturer simultaneously existing in East Africa Hominini species Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis and Homo ergaster and Homo erectus in question. In Eurasia bifaces are considerably later, often from about 600,000 years ago - for Homo heidelbergensis - proven. Even Neanderthal and since about 200,000 years in Africa secured fossil occupied anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) used hand axes until about 40,000 years ago.
Your versatile functioning as a " Swiss army knife " of the Stone Age, it is thanks to well that it gave them from the Lower Palaeolithic to the late Middle Palaeolithic. Probably they fulfilled numerous functions such as chopping, cutting, scraping, hitting and even throwing.
Classification
Bifaces are usually oval to pear-shaped. The length of the hand axes at an average of 100 to 250 millimeters, but there are also much larger specimens.
As the material were mainly rock rocks, volcanic rock or quartzite, rare flint pebbles and other rocks such as chert and obsidian used.
There are so -called hand ax - industries that have produced concise forms and processing methods, and were used for classification of the oldest human cultures: Abbevillian, also called Chellean ( 600000-400000 years ago), Acheulian (until 150,000 years ), Micoquian (before 130,000 to 70,000 years ) and Mousterian ( 120000-40000 years ago), all named after localities in France. Whether behind these various forms but also hide actually different archaeological cultures or even different types of people, is not clearly demonstrated.
Their distribution in Central Europe is an extension of the extremely rich deposits in Western Europe. The limit of the Acheulean bifaces located on the Oder. Only late biface forms and related beidflächig slammed devices of Micoquian are also common in eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe.
Dissemination
Bifaces are very widespread. The simplest and oldest forms have been found in Africa. The currently most zurückdatierbaren finds machined on both sides bifaces be an age of 1.75 million years assigned only east of the so-called Movius Line, Southeast Asia and China, there are very few finds. This can be explained with a research gap, lack of raw materials and a suitable alternative material such as bamboo.
The oldest European bifaces in the Mediterranean area are occupied around 900,000 years ago, north of the Alps, however, earlier than 600,000 years ago ( find site Boxgrove Quarry ).