Acheulean

or A·cheu·li·an

[ uh-shoo-lee-uhn ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or typical of a Lower Paleolithic culture of the middle Pleistocene Epoch, characterized by large hand axes and cleavers made by the soft hammer technique.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Acheulean¹

1890–95; < French acheuléen, named after St. Acheul, N France (Somme) (where remains were found) + -éen, variant of -ien (< Latin -iānus -ian ), originally with nouns ending in -é

Example Sentences

Their new stone technology, known as the Acheulean industry, persisted more or less unchanged for about 700,000 years.

From Science Magazine

That instability may have jolted them out of their Acheulean complacency and spurred them to develop tools to hunt smaller and faster prey, wider transport networks, and more complex methods of communication, Potts says.

From Science Magazine

Humans demonstrate not only an extraordinary capacity for transferring knowledge from one generation to the next, they are also supremely skilled in building on this know-how to create novel technology, whether it be an Acheulean hand ax or the modern electrical grid.

From Scientific American

The tools also offered a clue to the identity of the early seafarers: The artifacts resemble Acheulean tools developed more than a million years ago by H. erectus and used until about 130,000 years ago by Neandertals as well.

From Science Magazine

These tools require a more sophisticated flaking method than Acheulean types do, including preparing a stone core before striking flakes off it.

From Science Magazine