Alsfeld revives!First evidence of settlement

The oldest evidence that humans lived in the vicinity of Alsfeld dates back to the Paleolithic period and thus covers the timeframe from about 3 million years to approx. 10,000/8,000 BC. The Stone Age is considered the era in which stone (alongside wood and horn, which were also used but have not survived) was the main raw material for the production of tools and weapons. As the oldest and longest era of prehistory, the Stone Age came to an end with the invention, production, and use of bronze.

The finds are predominantly craft tools, namely flakes, scrapers, cores (the starting piece of a stone artifact from which pieces were struck off using a hammerstone), and indeed hand axes. These artificially human-made tools are referred to as artifacts, and the hand axe is the oldest tool of the genus Homo. In Europe, it has been documented for about 600,000 years and is typical of the Acheulean era. A striking feature of this archaeological culture are large, flattened, oval, or pointed hand axes that are always worked on both sides, just like the exhibit from this era on display here. (MNic)