An extremely rare and wonderful discovery of a hand axe measuring 125mm fashioned from the hematite mineral once a primary ore of iron formed by iron oxide (Fe2O3) and now classically formed into a hand axe which we are delighted to say, is exceedingly rare and is of historical importance.

Collected from Western Sahara in the late 1980s this piece derives from a personal collection here in England. Handcrafted using an attractive piece of hematite by a neanderthal some 10,200 - 8800 BCE

We cannot disclose enough just how uncommon this artefact is, with great weight in the hand as one can imagine this hematite artefact is beautiful to hold. Believed to have been a prized possession, maybe for use as a weapon or quite possibly used in rituals ceremonies by the ancients.

Our ancestors will have prized hematite like many irons, recognising these materials to be more scarce than the multitude of other sedimentary rocks strewn throughout Africa. The colour tones are consistent with an attractive palate of dark mauve iron purples that shimmer like steel with parralell folding patterns of lines throughout the hand axe - hematite derives from the Greek word 'Haimo' translating to English as 'blood' relating to its colour.

Type: Hematite hand axe.
Age: Neolithic, Capsian, 10,200 - 8800 BCE. Eurasia.
Origin: Northern Sahara Desert, Morocco, N. Africa.

Hand axe measurements.
Length: 12.5 cm
Width: 6.5 cm
Depth: 4 cm

Weight: 0.938 g