A Middle Palaeolithic Mousterian ovate handaxe from the Dordogne

A Middle Palaeolithic Mousterian ovate handaxe from the Dordogne

Code: 2217

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Description: A Mousterian mottled brown flint ovate handaxe of levallois tortoise shell form, with a retouched notch in the cutting edge, and a nice example. From the Dordogne, southwestern France.

Size: 103 mm/4 ins. in length

Culture: Middle Palaeolithic

Date: c. 160,000-40,000 years B.P.

Provenance: Ex F.S. Clark Collection, Woking, Surrey, with his collectors mark. Previously the property of a Surrey collector.

Background: Mr Fred Clark (1923-2016) ran the Old Curiosity Shoppe, The Quadrant, Onslow Street, Guildford, Surrey, in the 1970’s-1980’s selling a range of collectables. A passionate collector and field-walker, he built up a fine collection of antiquities, notable for British prehistoric items, a significant number of which he obtained through trade with Dr. H.A. Fawcett. Like Fawcett, he was meticulous in documenting his collection, even the most humble tools were catalogued and fully labelled with locality, accession number and his characteristic monogram.