Lithic tools are often considered objects that highlight the ingenuity and artistry of pre-historic humans. Join Sean Galvin from Freeman’s | Hindman’s Antiquities and Ancient Art department on an odyssey spanning continents and several million years as we examine the collective past through the lens of our storied relationship with stone.
Exactly 100 years ago limestone miners blasting in a South African cave discovered the remains of the “Taung Child”, a skull which proved to be the first identified Australopithecus africanus. This early ancestor of humans, famously associated with bipedalism, proved a critical point in the development towards human evolution. This block from the same cave floor is representative of our ancestors’ first bold steps.
For decades, the groundbreaking work of anthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey at the East African site of Olduvai Gorge uncovered the remains of some of the earliest ancestors of humans including Homo habilis and the first stone tools. This example, inscribed with location notes from the most important site in human anthropology, is emblematic of the forethought which would lead later hominins across continents.
The harsh desert conditions of the Sahara which polished these hand axes with their attractive patina once harbored an environment much more welcoming to life. Primarily shaped by the close ancestors of modern humans including Homo erectus, these “Acheulean” types exude a deliberate concern for the sculptural. The subtle variances within their established tear-drop form speak to the very beginnings of individual expression.
The Neolithic cultures of northern Europe held great reverence for finely polished battle axes. Beyond warfare, these monuments in miniature have been found in prestigious burials and sacrificial deposits. Non-utilitarian and votive, it has been said that they symbolize a revolution in everyday life, as hunter-gatherers cleared the forests and settled into a new agrarian world.
This mace head is especially noteworthy for the careful attention given by the ancient sculptor to the character of the breccia, which no doubt held special significance to its bearer. Such carefully polished mace heads had been a powerful symbol of authority millennia before the first civilizations appeared in the Near East. The Egyptian King Narmer is famously depicted smiting his enemies with such a mace on his eponymous palette dating from the dawn of dynastic history.
For the Olmecs of ancient Mexico, ornate celts such as the above would often be deliberately buried as dedicatory objects to encourage maize growth. The earthy character of its suspended inclusions combined with its corn husk shape guaranteed its intended agricultural utility. Such a desirable material would have likely traveled hundreds of miles from Central America, demonstrating the vast trading power of the first civilization in the Americas.
This graceful object with rich veining and an elegantly flaring neck, exhibits the simple geometric forms favored by the Early Bronze Age peoples of the Oxus River Valley. In the absence of surviving written records, the purpose of these mysterious “idols” continues to inspire wonder. Though millennia old, its minimalistic aesthetic appeals to the modern eye.
Featured Lots:
Lot 1 | A Paleolithic Block of Breccia from Makapansgat
Lot 2 | An Oldowan Stone Pebble Tool from Olduvai Gorge
Lot 5 | Four Paleolithic Quartzite Hand Axes
Lot 28 | A Neolithic Basalt Battle Axe
Lot 93 | An Egyptian Breccia Mace Head
Lot 143 | An Olmec Jade Celt
Lot 130 | A Western Asiatic Stone Ritual Object