Manzanares Biface

The first tools made by human beings

The biface or hand-axe is one of the first stone tools made by human beings. It is also the one that best illustrates prehistoric man's ability to turn hard stone into a useful object. This tool's perfect balance of material, form and function is proof of the intelligence and skill of the first humans.

Its shape is the materialisation of a plan or project devised in the mind of someone who knew exactly what he wanted to use it for—in this case, for several things. In other words, it is a multi-purpose tool that could be used to cut, dig, extract, pound, flay and strip flesh from bone. With this goal in mind, the flint stone was knapped on both sides to create the working edge, which was then retouched using a wooden or bone hammer until the edge became sharp enough to cut. This biface is associated with Acheulean technocomplex and comes from Manzanares river terraces (Madrid).