In anthropology and archaeology, a cleaver is a distinctive type of prehistoric stone tool, closely associated with the Acheulean industry of the Lower Paleolithic. It represents a technological advance beyond the simpler Oldowan choppers.
🌍 Definition
- Cleaver: A large bifacial stone tool with a broad, straight cutting edge formed by removing flakes from both sides of a core.
- Period: Acheulean (~1.6 million to ~200,000 years ago).
- Users: Early hominins such as Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis.
🔑 Characteristics
- Manufacture:
- Made by bifacial flaking, often from large flakes or cobbles.
- Distinct from handaxes: cleavers have a straight, transverse cutting edge rather than a pointed tip.
- Material: Typically flint, quartzite, basalt, or other fine-grained stones.
- Function:
- Butchering animals (cutting meat, disarticulating joints).
- Working wood or plant materials.
- Possibly symbolic or prestige items in some contexts.
📚 Anthropological Significance
- Technological Milestone:
- Shows refinement in tool-making—planned shaping of a specific edge for cutting tasks.
- Cognitive Insight:
- Indicates foresight and skill, as cleavers required more complex flaking than choppers.
- Archaeological Sites:
- Found widely across Africa, Europe, and Asia (e.g., Isimila in Tanzania, Atapuerca in Spain).
- Comparative Value:
- Cleavers complement handaxes in Acheulean assemblages, reflecting diverse toolkits.
In short: A cleaver is a bifacial Acheulean stone tool with a straight cutting edge, used by early hominins for butchery and woodworking, marking a leap in prehistoric technology.
