Western Europe, likely France, Paleolithic to Neolithic, Mousterian to Acheulean period, ca. 450,000 to 40,000 years old. A pair of hand-knapped stone tools by ancient ancestors, Homo heidelbergensis, a close ancestor of modern humans, and Neanderthals. The larger stone is flaked and chipped into a bifacial blade in the classic cordiform or teardrop shape that was conventional for the Acheulean stone tool tradition, displaying thoughtful human design! The other is flattened Mousterian type tool with a curved blade - a more manageable size and shape, in comparison to the larger predecessors of the Acheulean period. Size (Acheulean blade): 5.25" L x 3.5" W (13.3 cm x 8.9 cm)

Provenance: ex-Nancy and Dr. E.F. Simpson collection, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from 1970 to 2000

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#172065

Some chips and nicks along peripheries, otherwise both are intact with great mineral deposits and patina. Old inventory labels on both.