In Saudi Arabia, Archaeologists Uncovered A Massive Stone Hand Axe That Is Estimated To Be Over 200,000-Years-Old
Archaeologists digging in the deserts of Saudi Arabia have discovered a giant stone hand axe that is thought to be over 200,000 years old.
The team of experts made the find while surveying an archaeological site known as the Qurh Plain, which is located in the northwestern region of the country.
The Quhr Plain is south of AIUIa, an ancient Arabic oasis city that includes a multitude of historic monuments and dwellings, such as stone and mud-brick houses. The city was founded in the sixth century B.C.
The region surrounding AIUIa contains an ancient city named Hegra, which is Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city dates back to the first century A.D. and was once a settlement for the Nabatean people.
In the middle of the third century B.C., a Nabatean kingdom arose but became part of the Roman Empire during the first century. The Nabateans were one of the first people to inhabit the AIUIa region.
However, the recently discovered stone hand axe provides evidence that proves humans occupied the area before the Nabateans. These earlier humans were from the Paleolithic period.
The ancient tool uncovered at the site was around 20 inches long, four inches wide, and two inches thick. It was crafted from fine-grained basalt stone with sharp edges for cutting and chopping.
It is believed to be one of the largest hand axes ever discovered. When compared to other prehistoric axes around the world, no other could match this one in size.
It is still unclear what exactly the enormous hand axe may have been used for, but its strength and sharpness make it well-suited for cutting plants, wood, and animal parts.
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The basalt rock that the axe was constructed from made it durable and lightweight. So even though the tool was an impressive size, it could have been easily wielded with one hand.
The artifact was one out of a dozen other similar but smaller Paleolithic hand axes that were uncovered. The excavation that took place in the Quhr Plain is still ongoing.
Hopefully, archaeologists will unbury more clues that will help them piece together the lives of the earlier humans that lived in the region.
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