They were created by taking a large stone flake and painstakingly shaping it into an ax head by repeatedly striking and breaking smaller pieces off the edges.
But in only slightly younger layers, relating to 1.95 million years ago, researchers unearthed some of the oldest known examples of early Acheulean lithic technology. Acheulean hand axes and cleavers represent a more sophisticated type of production. They were created by taking a large stone flake and painstakingly shaping it into an ax head by repeatedly striking and breaking smaller pieces off the edges.