Lot 16
ACHEULEAN STONE CHOPPER
MOROCCO, LOWER PALEOLITHIC, C. 1,000,000 YEARS BEFORE PRESENT
Auction: 28 May 2026 from 13:00 BST
Description
knapped grey stone, of protobiface form, raised on a bespoke mount
Dimensions
14.9cm tall
Provenance
Private collection, Belgium, by descent
Footnote
Unremarkable in appearance, this piece is nonetheless extraordinary. Made over one million years ago in Africa by homo erectus, it belongs to the earliest phases of the Acheulean tradition, when our ancestors began shaping stone with intention, skill, and foresight. It stands among the first objects consciously fashioned by human hands.
This chopper was a simple but versatile cutting tool, used for tasks such as butchering animals, breaking bones to access marrow, and chopping or scraping plant materials.