Hand Axe

prehistory · stone tools · early humans

Made from stone. Hand axes were carefully shaped from flint or chert, which are types of rock that break in useful ways when struck with another stone.

Used for ages. People used hand axes for about 1.5 million years, from roughly 1.6 million years ago until 100,000 years ago, making it one of the longest-lasting tools ever invented.

Tools of early humans. Homo erectus and other early human species relied on hand axes for hunting and cutting, but surprisingly, modern humans (Homo sapiens) rarely used them.

Shaped by hitting. Toolmakers created hand axes through knapping, which means hitting a large stone against another stone over and over to chip away pieces and create a sharp edge.

Held in one hand. Hand axes were small enough to grip in your hand, with two sharp faces that made them useful for many different tasks like cutting meat, scraping hides, and digging.