Acheulean
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.2|A cordiform biface as commonly found in the Acheulean (replica) thumb|upright=1.2|Acheulean hand-axes from Kent. The types shown are (clockwise from top) cordate, ficron, and ovate. thumb|upright=1.2|Depiction of a Terra Amata (archaeological site)|Terra Amata hut in [[Nice, France dated to 400 thousand years ago, as postulated by Henry de Lumley.]] Acheulean (; also Acheulian and Mode II), from the French after the type site of Saint-Acheul, is an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture characterized by the distinctive oval and pear-shaped "hand axes" associat
AI overview
The Acheulean is an archaeological period characterized by the distinctive oval and pear-shaped stone hand axes that ancient peoples manufactured and used. It matters because these tools represent an important stage in human toolmaking technology and provide evidence of how early humans adapted and survived.
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Key facts
- Archaeological culture.name
- Acheulean
- Archaeological culture.map
- Distribution of the Acheulean cultural tradition as it is currently understood.webp
- Archaeological culture.mapcaption
- Distribution of the Acheulean cultural tradition as it is currently understood, characterised by large bifacially flaked cutting tools (handaxes and cleavers)
- Archaeological culture.mapsize
- 300
- Archaeological culture.region
- Africa, Europe, and Asia
- Archaeological culture.period
- Lower Paleolithic
- Archaeological culture.dates
- 1.95–0.13 Mya
- Archaeological culture.typesite
- Saint-Acheul (Amiens)
- Archaeological culture.precededby
- Oldowan
- Archaeological culture.followedby
- Mousterian, Clactonian, Micoquien, Aterian, Soanian, Sangoan, Acheulo-Yabrudian complex, Fauresmith industry
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
13 sectionsContents
- History of research
- Dating the Acheulean
- Acheulean stone tools
- Stages
- Manufacture
- Use
- Distribution
- Acheulean tool users
- See also
- References
- Citations
- Sources
- External links
thumb|upright=1.2|A cordiform biface as commonly found in the Acheulean (replica) thumb|upright=1.2|Acheulean hand-axes from Kent. The types shown are (clockwise from top) cordate, ficron, and ovate. thumb|upright=1.2|Depiction of a Terra Amata (archaeological site)|Terra Amata hut in [[Nice, France dated to 400 thousand years ago, as postulated by Henry de Lumley.]] Acheulean (; also Acheulian and Mode II), from the French after the type site of Saint-Acheul, is an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture characterized by the distinctive oval and pear-shaped "hand axes" associated with Homo erectus and derived species such as Homo heidelbergensis.
Acheulean tools were produced during the Lower Palaeolithic era across Africa and much of West Asia, South Asia, East Asia and Europe, and are typically found with Homo erectus remains. It is thought that Acheulean technologies first developed about 2 million years ago, derived from the more primitive Oldowan technology associated with Homo habilis. The Acheulean includes at least the early part of the Middle Paleolithic. Its end is not well defined; if Sangoan (also known as Epi-Acheulean) is included, it may be taken to last until as late as 130,000 years ago. In Europe and Western Asia, early Neanderthals utilized Acheulean technology, later transitioning to the more advanced Mousterian beginning around 320,000 years ago.