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Palaeolithic

Ceramics

A small ceramic figurine depicting a zoomorph was excavated in 2001 from Vela Spila, Croatia. Archaeologists typically associate the origins of ceramic technology with the first pots and vessels made by early sedentary, agricultural societies. However, this figurine was excavated from a horizon with typical late Upper Palaeolithic material culture, radiocarbon dated to c. 15,000 BP. Continue reading →

Obsidian Micro-core – Dora Moutsiou

by Dora Moutsiou Obsidian’s high quality for the manufacture of stone implements was recognised very early on by prehistoric tool-makers. Although the use of obsidian is more pronounced in late prehistoric times, particularly in the Neolithic, it is much earlier that the first archaeological evidence for the procurement of obsidian is recorded. Continue reading →

Handaxe

The most distinctive stone tools in deep-human-history are the handaxes. The oldest are almost two million years old from East Africa. They are exceptional because of their symmetry and their consistency in design. Handaxes are found from Britain to South Africa and from West Africa to India. They persisted for over a million and a half years at a time when the brains of our ancestors were expanding rapidly. They served a multitude of tasks in a multitude of environments. Continue reading →