Tool. Old Stone Age, classic teardrop-shaped, hand axe found in Twydall. Made of flint.
Tool. Old Stone Age, classic teardrop-shaped, hand axe found in Twydall. Made of flint.
Flint, which is an abundant material here in Kent, was formed millions of years ago from the bodies of tiny sea creatures; wherever flint is, the sea has been. The very basic design of this hand axe makes it a good item to contrast with later bronze age axes.
As people developed techniques for working and shaping natural flint, this resulted in the emergence of the stone hand axe. Worked flint, different shapes, but all held in the hand. This is a dominant design which alters little and slowly, persisting from 500,000 years ago right through to roughly 4,000 BC.
The classic tear drop form of stone hand axe is so widespread, the conclusion that people are copying and learning, and that this is a cultural phenomenon, is inescapable.
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