Hand Axe

Hand axes are one of the most representative artifacts of the Paleolithic (Old Stone) Age. These bifacial stone tools got their name because they were held directly in the hand and used to chop things. This particular hand axe was excavated from the prehistoric site of Jeongok-ri in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do. This type of artifact is generally thought to have been used as a tool in the Korean Peninsula during the Lower Paleolithic Age (120,000-700,000 years ago). Hand axes were made by using another rock to hammer down the sides and then trimming the edges until they became sharp. Today, this process may sound a bit crude, but the production of stone tools such as hand axes and choppers involved several variegated steps, including selecting the appropriate raw materials and then systematically shaping and sharpening them. Hence, these artifacts are closely related to human evolution and the development of human intelligence. Hand axes were first made by Homo erectus, who achieved fully orthograde (erect) posture, bipedal walking, and advanced intelligence.