Archäologie Baselland
In Füllinsdorf in the semi-canton of Basel-Landschaft, an amateur archaeologist discovered a hand ax dating back at least 45,000 years. The find is considered unique in Switzerland.
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- An amateur archaeologist has found a hand ax in Füllinsdorf in the semi-canton of Basel-Landschaft.
- According to a press release, the object is at least 45,000 years old.
- The find is considered unique in Switzerland.
George Sprechera volunteer for «Baselland Archaeology», has made an extraordinary discovery in the semi-canton of Basel-Landschaft: a hand ax from the Middle Paleolithic.
The man, who has already identified numerous Stone Age sites in the region, found the object in a settlement site that he located in 2016 in Oberholz, near Füllinsdorf, as stated in a press release from «Baselland Archaeology».
The well-preserved hand ax belongs typologically to the Moustérien culture, more precisely to the Moustérien de tradition acheuléenne, dated to approximately 60,000-40,000 years before our era. A specialized laboratory in the south of France has established that it is at least 45,000 years old.
A unique find
The raw material for the hand ax comes from a deposit near Alle, Noir Bois in the Jura, about 50 kilometers from the discovery site. Extensive excavations there have documented several Moustérien-era sites.
Based on the raw material and similar dating, the two sites may have been linked.
Archäologie Baselland
It is possible that a group of game hunters visited both sites on their excursions. The hand ax would not have been lost accidentally, but would have come from a Neanderthal resting place.
Hand axes are stone artefacts worked on two sides with a round base and a point on the opposite side and are among the first tools used by man.
At 300,000 years old, the Pratteln hand ax is considered the oldest archaeological object from what is now Switzerland. The dating of the new Füllinsdorf find is unique in Switzerland.
