Paleolithic . Beautiful Acheulian handaxe from France Start Price USD 199.00 Current Price USD 199.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, November 21, 2008 End Time Monday, December 08, 2008 Location Nice, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur See more about 'Paleolithic . Beautiful Acheulian handaxe from France' Description Titre   Beautiful Acheulian handaxe   Description   -Tool / Type : Acheulian handaxe - Culture / Age : Acheulian ( 300 000 - 150 000 years BP). - Shape / Flaking : A reallybeautiful handaxe with a amygdaloid shape very regular and almost symmetric, probably to replace at the end of the Acheulian period. Good removals, continuous and very fine retouch on the edges of the two surfaces. Superb yellow/ochre color of the patina. Old inscription : "Lauque", or, better, "Lanqué" (?), maybe it means Lanquais in Dordogne (same pronunciation ) : a possible mistake made by the collector as it is sometimes the case. A excellent specimen for any collectors. - Condition / Material : Very good, just some old nicks near the distal end. Made in flint with a fantastic yellow/ochre patina. - Size / Weight : 130 mm / 80 mm. Weight : 250 grams. - Origin : Dordogne - France. Note : I don't make always description very complete in my sales, because of my english and because I'm busy with my work. So, if you have questions, do not hesitate to pose it, that will be a pleasure for me of answering you. Thanks. Handaxes : evolution, cultures and shapes The handaxe have appeared in Africa 1 300 000 years BP ago ( known on the site of Olduvaï, Tanzania) and is spread then in Europe 800 000 years ago, while passing by the Middle East ( 900 000 BP). Handaxes can be found in the cultures of the advanced oldowayan ( 1,3 M - 1 M BP), Mousterian ( 100 000 - 40 000 BP), but especially it is the characteristic tool of the Acheulian period ( about 800 000 - 100 000 BP in Europe ). The shape and the finishing of the handaxe evolve with time : the older it is, the more its edges are sinuous and the more random its form is. The more recent it is, the finer and the more regular it is,becoming easily identifiable to a precise type. Here is some definitions to help you to understand how to identify a handaxe. Protohandaxe : near to the Oldowayan culture ; handaxe made on a pebble, bifacially flaking with larges flake scars and a random shape. Abbevillian : (eponym site : Abbeville in North of France : 700 000 y.BP ) Old name to assign a culture, now assimilated to the Acheulian. Currently, it specifies a particular type of handaxe worked with a hard hammer, then it has a sinuous edges and a base often in cortex. Acheulian : (eponym site : Saint-Acheul in the North of France) .The majority of handaxes belongs to this period. The oldest are Abbevillian, the latest, worked with soft hammers,are very thin, regular, with retouched edges. The types are easily identifiable by their shape : amygdaloid, oval, lanceolate. Handaxes of the Micoquian type (eponym site : La Micoque cave in Dordogne) appear in the late Acheulian and are characterized by one or, often, two concave edges .Handaxes belonging to the Mousterian of Acheulian Tradition ( MTA - in french- or MAT ) : The Neandertal man reinvented the handaxe, probably discovering the Acheulian tools in the caves. Handaxe are very thin, with regular shape, often finely retouched with a soft hammer. New types appear : cordiform, triangular, subtriangular.   Payment   Paypal, international postal order, bank transfer, other.   Shipping   New postage rates 2008 As a indication, you can calculate overall the price of your sending, especially if you buy several artefacts. However it is very important to know that the weight can vary according the package used ( For example, the bubble envelope that I usually use to send small objects weighs approximately 15 grams ). All the price are for prority sending, if you prefer the economic service, please ask me to know if it is available for your country. Thanks.   BUBBLE ENVELOPE or BOX Weight (in grams) until : European Community USA and World 100 gr. 3.5 $ 4.5 $ 250 gr. 7.5 $ 9.5 $ 500 gr. 10.5 $ 12 $ 1000 gr. 14.5 $ 17.5 $ 1500 gr. 18.5 $ 23 $ 2000 gr. 20,5 $ 27 $   Registered mail,available for boxes and envelopes, including an insurance for about 70 $ of goods : + 6.5 $ For a parcel exceeding 2 Kg or for an insurance higher than 70 $ of value : please consult me.   Guarantee My three engagements : AUTHENTICITY, QUALITY, SERVICE . I am a collector like you ; my name of seller on Ebay is "Antefacta" which was a word used by the latin author Vitruvius to talk about the actions done in the past. I chose this word because it illustrates my passion for the prehistoric times and for History in general. All my artefacts are garanteed absolutely authentic and come from my collection or from old french collections. In all the cases these artefacts were acquired legally. You can buy in confidence : you will be satisfied or refunded. Place a Bid!