Handaxe · Lower Palaeolithic
Acheulean handaxe
1700000–200000 BCE, Acheulean
The Acheulean handaxe is the bifacially worked tool of Homo erectus and later hominins from about 1.7 million to 200,000 years ago across Africa, Europe and Asia. It was a multipurpose butchering and cutting tool and possibly a display object. Examples from British and French river gravels and the Sahara are widely collected.
| Object | Handaxe |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1700000–200000 BCE |
| Period | Lower Palaeolithic |
| Cultures | Acheulean |
| Regions | Europe — Western & Central, Europe — Mediterranean, Near East & Mesopotamia |
Diagnostic traits
Bifacially flaked ovate, cordate or pointed tool worked around the whole edge; later examples thin with soft-hammer flaking.
Identification
Handaxes are worked around the whole edge on both faces into ovate, cordate, pointed or limande outlines, unlike Mousterian scrapers, which are unifacial flake tools, and Solutrean leaves, which are thin and pressure-flaked. Early examples are thick with hard-hammer scars; later ones thin with soft-hammer finishing. Cleavers have a straight bit.
Reproductions and fakes
Modern knappers make handaxes and age them by tumbling and staining; genuine gravel pieces show differential staining, ridge abrasion and sometimes chatter marks. Saharan blanks are also retouched to improve them.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Acheulean handaxe" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/acheulean-handaxe. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-acheulean-handaxe,
title = {Acheulean handaxe},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/acheulean-handaxe}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.