History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c10.s1.t3.1

v1.c10.s1.t3.1

This technique has derived its name from the site L Abbeville in France, where it was recognized for the first time (Bordes, 1968, pp. 52-54). This infact has the same types of flaking scars which are found to be on the Pebble tools made by the direct percussion stone hammer technique. Some time back there was a belief that use of this term would suggest culture contact of Africa or Asia with Europe, where Abbevillian was also recognized as an early stage of handaxe based culture. But this term is now used both for technique and culture stage quite independent from each other. In Europe Abbevillian stage is characterized by crude handaxes having deep flake-scars. The rough pointed tip, unflaked butt and zig-zagged sides suggest that these stone hammered specimens were proto-types of later finely made handaxes of the Acheulian tradition (Fig.3).