Object 3: Olduvai Handaxe

The Olduvai hand axe it was in Olduvai Gorge Tanzania. The axe was made about green volcanic rock the lava represents a tradition of tool-making which began about 1.6 million years ago.

The makers of handaxes are the first humans to spread across Africa into Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Asia. No other humanly made object has ever been manufactured over such a long period and before the 20th century no other object has spread over such a wide geographical area. The handaxe was found in 1931 by Louis Leakey.