15,000 BC EGYPTIAN MESOLITHIC PERIOD KNAPPED FLINT TOOL

• A finely-preserved Egyptian Mesolithic Period (Middle Stone Age) knapped flint cordiform hand axe, created and used by prehistoric Egyptians (15,000 - 10,000 B.C.).
• This particular piece has elements of the original cortex still present (The cortex is the outer layer of rock formed on the exterior of raw materials.
• The amount of cortex present on artifacts in an archaeological assemblage may indicate the extent of lithic reduction that has occurred).
• Museum collection reference number: `#745`. (Inked inscription on verso)
• The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic.
• The Mesolithic refers to the final period of hunter-gatherer cultures in Europe and the Middle East, between the end of the Last Glacial Maximum and the Neolithic Revolution.
• In the Middle East (the Epipalaeolithic Near East) it spans roughly 20,000 to 10,000 BP.
• The type of culture associated with the Mesolithic varies between areas, but it is associated with a decline in the group hunting of large animals in favour of a broader hunter-gatherer way of life, and the development of more sophisticated and typically smaller lithic tools and weapons than the heavy-chipped equivalents typical of the Palaeolithic.
• Mesolithic societies are not seen as very complex, and burials are fairly simple.
• The Mesolithic saw the rise of various Egyptian cultures, including Halfan, Qadan, Sevillian, and Haitian:
• Halfan culture arose along the Nile Valley of Egypt and in Nubia between 18,000 and 15,000 BCE.
• They appeared to be settled people, descended from the Khormusan people, and spawned the Ibero-Marusian industry.
• Material remains from these people include stone tools, flakes, and rock paintings.
• The Qadan culture practiced wild-grain harvesting along the Nile, and developed sickles and grinding stones to collect and process these plants.
• These people were likely residents of Libya who were pushed into the Nile Valley due to desiccation in the Sahara.
• The Sevillian culture (also known as Esna) gathered wheat and barley.
• The Haitian culture migrated out of the Fayum and the Eastern deserts of Egypt to merge with the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B; this created the Circum-Arabian Nomadic Pastoral Complex, who invented nomadic pastoralism, and may have spread Proto-Semitic language throughout Mesopotamia.
• Dated to 15,000 - 10,000 B.C.
• Size: 66mm x 51mm x 15mm
• Literature: Cf. MacGregor, A. (ed.), Antiquities from Europe and the Near East in the Collection of Lord McAlpine of West Green, Oxford, 1987, items 1.11 and 1.14, for types.
• Provenance: This piece was held in an important Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom estate, acquired before 2000 and has henceforth been held in a private collection in Sydney, Australia.
• Condition: This piece is extremely well preserved and remains in excellent condition - refer images.
• Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Internationally recognised Bid Safe authentication and verification number: 4998082-2)
• Inspected and verified by an archaeologist and prominent historical author with a PhD in archaeology. (SN:4998082-2) (311984-1)

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