Egyptian Palaeolithic chert oviform hand-axe

An oviform grey chert hand-axe with part of the cortex remaining on one side.

Culture
Egypt, Upper Palaeolithic, c. 100,000-50,000 BC

Size
13.1 x 7.6 cms

Condition
Intact. The stone has a glossy pale brown patina on one side and retains the original grey surface to much of the other side – this feature is quite typical of ancient stone tools found in the desert where the actions of exposure to the elements can occur on an exposed side only.

Provenance
Ex. collection: Dr Richard Shenkel (1941-2008), New Orleans, USA. Formerly in a US collection acquired during the 1940’s-1950’s while surveying in the Northern Fayum desert around Birket Qarun (modern Lake Moeris). Shenkel was a professor of Anthropology at the University of New Orleans, USA.