Something a little different

Mark · 20th February 2005, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conogre

dino-poop?

LOL! I think that is what Andrew was getting at in his first post.

It is an Acheulean era hand axe or chopper found along the Omo river in Ethiopia (surface find). This is the same place were the oldest dated remains of Homo sapiens have been found, recently in the news because they were re-dated to 190,000 years ago, which I think 50 or 60,000 years older than originally thought.

This piece was not even made by a modern human, but by Homo erectus, somewhere between 1.5 million to 200,000 years ago.

tom hyle · 20th February 2005, 03:06 PM

That was my first thought, too, but isn't it small for the type?

Battara · 20th February 2005, 03:56 PM

So...I guess that means that it's not Moro.

Mark · 20th February 2005, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom hyle

That was my first thought, too, but isn't it small for the type?

Not really, if you consider the size of Homo erectus. It fits pretty nicely in my had, so I would acutally say that it is a little big. The picture is pretty much actual size. Other examples that I have handled (my Dad picked up three in the area -- I was too busy goofing around with by high school friends to look down), were about 3 inches long. I have also seen casts of some of about that size as well.

The more I look at it, the more I think I should give it to a museum, or maybe my alma mater. Its really a priceless artifact.

Radu Transylvanicus · 20th February 2005, 06:08 PM

Powhatan frisbee

Native american adze/ tool

Jim McDougall · 20th February 2005, 06:59 PM

This thread is priceless!!!!! hysterical LOL!!!

Laughter is truly the best medicine!!

fearn · 20th February 2005, 09:09 PM

Interesting! I had the same "It's a hand-axe, no, wait, it's too small" reaction.

Not that I'm arguing. The one hand axe I got to handle in Anthropology way back when was a bit bigger than my hand, or about twice the size of the example you've got here. It was also right handed, something I noticed as a leftie...

Yours is also missing the point that I saw on the other one.

Oh well, at least it shows that they weren't standardizing their knives even then

Neat blade!

Fearn

Andrew · 21st February 2005, 01:41 AM

I guessed hand axe first! It's probably not chert, though.

20th February 2005, 03:06 PM	#2
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	That was my first thought, too, but isn't it small for the type?

20th February 2005, 03:56 PM	#3
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,320	So...I guess that means that it's not Moro.

20th February 2005, 06:08 PM	#5
Radu Transylvanicus Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: 2008-2010 Bali, 1998-2008 USA Posts: 271	Powhatan frisbee Native american adze/ tool

20th February 2005, 06:59 PM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,579	This thread is priceless!!!!! hysterical LOL!!! Laughter is truly the best medicine!!

20th February 2005, 09:09 PM	#7
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Interesting! I had the same "It's a hand-axe, no, wait, it's too small" reaction. Not that I'm arguing. The one hand axe I got to handle in Anthropology way back when was a bit bigger than my hand, or about twice the size of the example you've got here. It was also right handed, something I noticed as a leftie... Yours is also missing the point that I saw on the other one. Oh well, at least it shows that they weren't standardizing their knives even then Neat blade! Fearn

21st February 2005, 01:41 AM	#8
Andrew Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: USA Posts: 1,725	I guessed hand axe first! It's probably not chert, though.