Loading

Hand axe

Approximately 200,000 years ago

Museo Arqueológico Nacional

Museo Arqueológico Nacional
Madrid, Spain

Lanceolate hand axe with a symmetrical morphology and tapered base. Hand axes are characterised by their pointed shape and by being worked on both sides to create a sharp edge all the way around. Carved from nodules or large stone chippings, various stone materials were used to make them. They were used in a variety of tasks, from preparing food to cutting wood. This piece comes from San Isidro hill (Valle de Manzanares, Madrid), a site that is particularly important for the history of research on the Palaeolithic in Spain, as its discovery served as a starting point for such research in this country. Given the time when the first findings were discovered on the site (1862) it is, along with other European sites, one of the pioneers in the beginnings of prehistoric science. The valleys of the Manzanares and Jarama rivers in Madrid are one of the areas with the highest concentration of Acheulean sites in the Iberian Peninsula.

Details

  • Title: Hand axe
  • Date Created: Approximately 200,000 years ago
  • Provenance: Hill of San Isidro (River Manzanares Terraces, Madrid, Spain)
  • Type: Lithic industry
  • Rights: Museo Arqueológico Nacional
  • External Link: CERES
  • Medium: Flint
  • Cultural Context: Acheulean

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Flash this QR Code to get the app
Google apps