A hand axe (or handaxe) is a prehistoric stone tool with two faces that is the longest-used tool in human history. It is usually made from flint or chert. It is characteristic of the lower Acheulean and middle Palaeolithic (Mousterian) periods.

What is stone axe used for?

The stone axe was an important tool in the Neolithic: It allowed to cut trees and to clear forests faster than before and enabled the Neolithic revolution. Equally it was used as a powerful weapon.

Who gave the stone hand axe?

They were made by earlier species of man, such as Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthal Man); it was one of their most important tools. The hand axe cultures were preceded by an even older Oldowan culture of primitive stone tools (2.6 to 1.7 million years ago) in Africa.