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LOT 1542
Large Stone Age Bifacial Flint Handaxe
MIDDLE PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 250,000- 60,000 B.P.
6 5/8 in. (595 grams, 17 cm).
Substantial handaxe; varied patination from deposition in mineral-rich deposits; expertly knapped with a thin section and broad section, some cortex remaining; inked find spot legend 'Auigny, Cos[..] / Les [...] / Z.B. No. 14'.
ProvenanceFound Auigny, Chere, France.
From the collection of amateur archaeologist Mr M. Allais, formed in the mid-1900s.
Acquired on the European art market.
From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, collector.
Attributed to Homo neanderthalensis.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Stone Age Buigny Flint Tool Group
Neolithic Period, 4th-2nd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1
Large plano-convex tool with cortex to upper face and smaller tool with rounded edge; each with inked find spot 'Buigny'. 148 grams total, 54-79 mm
Found Buigny, France. Ex Norfolk, UK, private collection of French artefacts acquired prior to 2000. From the collection of a South West London, UK, specialist Stone Age collector. -
Large Stone Age Polished Kneeling Pregnant Goddess Idol
Neolithic Period, circa 6th-4th millennium B.C. or laterSold for (Inc. bp): £1,170
A carved and polished figurine with rounded head and broad shoulders, folded arms resting on each side of the protruding belly, legs folded beneath the body; mounted on a custom-made stand. 1.07 kg total, 15.3 cm high including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Most scholars consider these as symbols of the fertility cult and as evidence of the existence of a matriarchal society as a form of organisation of the earliest human society. The people of the Stone Age may have considered figures such as this to represent women and mothers with their life-giving powers, or as depictions of the ancestors. -
Large Stone Age Levallois Flint Knife Point
Middle Palaeolithic Period, circa 150,000-60,000 B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
Remarkably large example of a Levallois flake, each side with a different patination from deposition environment, some cortex remaining; with inked find spot legend '16. St. Meme / Carrières / 1971 / (éclat Levallois) / celle DUBOE'. 325 grams, 12.5 cm
Found at the St Meme Mousterian site, France, in 1971. Acquired in the 1970s-1990s. From the collection of famous UK musician and amateur archaeologist, Victor Brox (1941-2023).