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Early Neolithic Stone Tools

Early Neolithic Stone Tools

We've updated this classic Mini Museum specimen with larger tools!

Above: Front of the Specimen Card.

The oldest knowledge of humankind we have doesn’t come from stories or recorded histories, but the stones our ancient ancestors left behind.

Commonly known as handaxes, the true span of their use went far beyond that. Choppers, blades, scrapers, points, and crushing tools have all been discovered and many tools may have been reshaped over time to be used for new purposes.

Above: The 5.15" Handaxe/Biface Specimen

These particular tools come from North Africa and are dated to roughly 12,000 years old. This time was a transition point into the Neolithic and the end of a tool-making tradition that stretched tens of thousands of years into the past.

Early Neolithic Tool Sizes:

  • Small, Classic Riker Box - Measuring 1 to 1.5" in length, these specimens are enclosed inside our classic, glass-topped riker box cases. The cases measure 4 1/2" x 3 1/2". A small information card is also included, which also serves as the certificate of authenticity. Please Note: shape, color, and function vary widely with these smaller specimens.
  • Showcase Specimens - Priced and sold individually, these larger specimens ship inside sturdy shipping cartons. A small information card is also included, which also serves as the certificate of authenticity. 

Above: A selection of small, classic riker box specimens (approximately 1-1.5" in length) with the included information card.

More About Stone Tools

Above: Neolithic Paintings from Tassili N'Ajjer, Algeria

Stone tools are among the oldest human artifacts on the planet and they are the most abundant source of information about how ancient cultures lived. Clothing, wood, and even bones are decayed by the passage of time, but the resilience of stone tells us how truly ancient we are as a species.

The earliest known tools date back 2,600,000 million years, deep into the Paleolithic and far older than any known human civilization. For the vast majority of human history, the stone tool was the presiding technology of its time. Though styles varied over time, the core method of creating a knapped stone tool remained relatively consistent through the Paleolithic. A starting rock of flint would have one side knapped to a sharp point by beating the edges with a hammerstone or antler. The other half was rounded out, giving the tool an almond look. This allowed it to fit snugly into one’s hand for both comfort and grip.

These tools are commonly known as handaxes, though the true span of their use went far beyond that. Choppers, blades, scrapers, points, and crushing tools have all been discovered and many tools may have been reshaped over time to be used for new purposes.

Above: A selection of small, classic riker box specimens (approximately 1-1.5" in length)

It is most common to find tools with some form of symmetry present in their design. Some archaeologists posit that this shows a stylistic intent in their crafting, as well as a functional one. Perhaps these ancient craftsmen were quite similar to us, taking pride in creating a fine-looking tool.

12,000 years ago, as agricultural revolutions began in societies around the world, the tools humans used changed to meet the needs of farming. Some of these Neolithic era tools still consisted of the original flint knapping techniques, while others were made from ground and polished rocks like basalts and jade. These ground stone tools allowed for finer detail, with sickles, mortar and pestles, and beads appearing alongside improved scrapers and blades.

Through the forms of these ancient tools, we can discover what the day-to-day lives of early humans would have been. A large amount of scrapers and points from the Paleolithic period tells us that survival relied on foraging and hunting. As the Neolithic period progressed, the shift in tool use to grinding flour and cultivation of crops shows the progression to an agrarian lifestyle, long before any recorded history notes it.

These particular tools come from North Africa and are dated to be around 12,000 to 10,000 years old. This would put them right at the transition into the Neolithic, making them one of the last of their kind.

Further Reading

Wright, Katherine I. “Ground-Stone Tools and Hunter-Gatherer Subsistence in Southwest Asia: Implications for the Transition to Farming.” American Antiquity, vol. 59, no. 2, Society for American Archaeology, 1994, pp. 238–63.

Keeley, Lawrence H. “The Functions of Paleolithic Flint Tools.” Scientific American, vol. 237, no. 5, Scientific American, a division of Nature America, Inc., 1977, pp. 108–27.

Above: Back of the Specimen Card.



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