This type of Paleolithic tool was shaped out of a good-sized flint nodule that was skillfully struck a few times with a hammerstone to remove large flakes. The cutting edges thus obtained along the long sides of the tool may seem rudimentary but were very efficient. Since such a tool was flaked on both sides, it is called a "biface". It was not fitted onto a shaft but rather held directly in a person's bare hand.
Provenance: Ard Hamad?
Era: Paleolithic Age (circa 400 000 BC).
Material: flint.
Dimensions: 12.8 x 6 cm.
Collection of the National Museum of Damascus.
Photo: Muḥammad ar-Rūmī.
Michel Fortin, Syria, Land of Civilization. Les Éditions de l'Homme, Musée de la Civilisation de Québec 1999.
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