Old style axes. I mean old.

[disduster]

very cool stuff in this thread, keep it coming. :thumbup:

 

[Edwood7]

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysian archaeologists have announced the discovery of stone tools they believe are more than 1.8 million years old and the earliest evidence of human ancestors in Southeast Asia.

The stone hand-axes were discovered last year in the historical site of Lenggong in northern Perak state, embedded in a type of rock formed by meteorites which was sent to a Japanese lab to be dated.

http://themalaysianlife.blogspot.com/2009/02/18-million-years-old-axe-discovered-in.html

"We received news from Japan two weeks ago which said it is 1.83 million years old, so this find shows the existence of human beings there 1.83 million years ago," archaeology team leader Mokhtar Saidin told AFP.

"This is the earliest evidence of Paleolithic culture in the Southeast Asian region,

 

[JayGoliath]

The wood handle looks like the branch from guava tree.
It's one of the few trees that could stand moisture and termites.

Pretty popular handle material amongst the knifemakers here.

 

[Raymond1000]

Jay:

It says in the article: “This pic is for illustration only and has no relation to the story.” I believe the actual find is what archeologists call a hand axe. Think of a splitting wedge made of rock. You grabbed the thick end and that was your binding. Your arm served as a shaft.

I read somewhere that Stone Age peoples (anatomically human, much later) would split a living sapling, position an axe head in it, then bind the scantling together again. In a few years the tree grew around the obsidian. Eventually the flint knapper would return to harvest a solidly hafted axe.

 

[church&son]

Malaysian archaeologists have announced the discovery of stone tools they believe are more than 1.8 million years old and the earliest evidence of human ancestors in Southeast Asia.

I wondered where I left my axe

I read somewhere that Stone Age peoples (anatomically human, much later) would split a living sapling, position an axe head in it, then bind the scantling together again. In a few years the tree grew around the obsidian. Eventually the flint knapper would return to harvest a solidly hafted axe

.
I wonder if the axe maker got a deposit up front? This is amazing stuff, we stand on the shoulders of giants......Randy