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Adze
Adze
An adze is a tool used for woodworking. It is one of the first handled tools used by Hominids. It is similar...
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Arrowhead
Arrowhead
Even if arrows were mostly used for hunting, they could be used as war weapons. Some arrowheads have been...
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Awl
Awl
An awl was a stone tool tapered to a point and used to punch holes in bones, teeth, shells, or wood...
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Biface
Biface
The biface was a multifunctional tool. Its cutting edges were used to chop wood, to cut meat, or to scrape...
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Blade
Blade
A blade is a flat, long and wide stone fragment. Blades were multifunctional tools which were sharp like...
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Cave bear jaw
Cave bear jaw
Ursus spelaeus, commonly known as cave bear, first appeared 250,000 years ago and died out approximately...
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Ceramic shard
Ceramic shard
In order to stock food and carry water, sedentary farmers produced remarkable clay potteries, which were...
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Chasséen vase
Chasséen vase
Chasséen culture is the name given to an archaeological culture of the Middle Neolithic. Chasséens were...
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Chopping tool
Chopping tool
Chopping tools are usually made of pebble or soft stone. A hard stone was used in order to make the cutting...
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Copper arrowhead
Copper arrowhead
Copper arrowheads often seem to have been used several times. Most of the time, they are found cracked or...
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Dagger
Dagger
The high skill level displayed in the manufacture of a handle, added to the rarity and beauty of the...
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Grinding stone
Grinding stone
During prehistoric times, grain milling was achieved on stationary bedstones on which grains were crushed...
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Knife
Knife
It is probably the most common, everyday tool. It is often quite straightforward, since any stone fragment or...
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Levallois point
Levallois point
A new technique of stone knapping was developed by precursors of modern humans during the Palaeolithic period...
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Microliths
Microliths
Microliths are very small stone tools, usually a centimeter long or so, sometimes less. These very small...
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Polished axe
Polished axe
Axes were essential to deforestation activities, which in turn enabled the creation of farming fields, but...
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Scraper
Socket axe
Socket axe
The Bronze Age marks the coming of age of a metal industry based on copper, tin and lead.
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Spindle whorl
Spindle whorl
A spindle whorl is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of...
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Terra sigillata
Terra sigillata
Terra sigillata (aka samian ware) is a type of thin-walled ceramics used for table service during the Roman...
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X CloseGet ready to explore Normandy during the Neolithic Era !
The archaeology collections of the Museum contain several tens of thousands of objects.
Flint tools and flakes are predominant, but bones, potteries and iron artifacts also allow us to complement our knowledge of the past.
Most of these items were found during excavations carried out in the area. They provide invaluable information on Normandy during the Neolithic Era, 6,000 to 2,000 years BCE.
Some older items were also found, proving that there was human presence in Normandy several tens of thousands of years ago.
The archaeology collections of the Museum are divided into « historic » items, recovered during the first half of the 20th century, and other items found more recently.
Adze
An adze is a tool used for woodworking. It is one of the first handled tools used by Hominids. It is similar to an axe, except that the cutting edge is perpendicular to the handle. Most of the time, handles were made from deer antlers. The adze was used for digging, surfacing, or for trimming tree trunks, by swinging it back and forth.
Arrowhead
Even if arrows were mostly used for hunting, they could be used as war weapons. Some arrowheads have been found in human bones.
Awl
An awl was a stone tool tapered to a point and used to punch holes in bones, teeth, shells, or wood...
Biface
The biface was a multifunctional tool. Its cutting edges were used to chop wood, to cut meat, or to scrape skins. Its tip was used to pierce holes or to unearth roots.
Blade
A blade is a flat, long and wide stone fragment. Blades were multifunctional tools which were sharp like swords. They could be used in their unprocessed form, but could also be adapted to make scrapers, chisels, microliths, etc. They could aldo be added to arrow shafts, just underneath the tip, in order to improve their efficiency.
Cave bear jaw
Ursus spelaeus, commonly known as cave bear, first appeared 250,000 years ago and died out approximately 10,000 years BCE, like all Quaternary megafaunal species.
Ceramic shard
In order to stock food and carry water, sedentary farmers produced remarkable clay potteries, which were decorated with linear bands, hence the name « Linear Band Ware culture ».
Chasséen vase
Chasséen culture is the name given to an archaeological culture of the Middle Neolithic. Chasséens were farmers and herders, and they mastered pottery.
Chopping tool
Chopping tools are usually made of pebble or soft stone. A hard stone was used in order to make the cutting edges, since the soft stone would begin to chip away once it was hit by the hard stone. These tools of various dimensions are typical of ancient African industry and were ever-present during Lower and Middle Palaeolithic .
Copper arrowhead
Copper arrowheads often seem to have been used several times. Most of the time, they are found cracked or bent. Metal arrowheads were probably used for hunting. Their use meant hunters had to retrieve their preys, in order to get the arrows back and put them back in service as soon as possible. Arrows were used primarily as hunting weapons, but they could also be used as currency for goods.
Dagger
The high skill level displayed in the manufacture of a handle, added to the rarity and beauty of the materials used imply that daggers were used for « ceremonial » purposes. For example, they were used at the beginning of harvest seasons.
Grinding stone
During prehistoric times, grain milling was achieved on stationary bedstones on which grains were crushed using a circular motion of a smaller stone.
Knife
It is probably the most common, everyday tool. It is often quite straightforward, since any stone fragment or silex with a sharp edge could be used as a blade.
Levallois point
A new technique of stone knapping was developed by precursors of modern humans during the Palaeolithic period : the « Levallois technique ». This technique resulted in the production of more sophisticated flakes, blades, or points.
Microliths
Microliths are very small stone tools, usually a centimeter long or so, sometimes less. These very small tools are usually produced from flint blades.
Polished axe
Axes were essential to deforestation activities, which in turn enabled the creation of farming fields, but they were also used to chop trees and for carpentry works. The great care given to the production of polished tools had technical purposes, but also aesthetic and social purposes.
Socket axe
The Bronze Age marks the coming of age of a metal industry based on copper, tin and lead.
Spindle whorl
A spindle whorl is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of the spin.
Terra sigillata
Terra sigillata (aka samian ware) is a type of thin-walled ceramics used for table service during the Roman Empire.
Adze
Adze
An adze is a tool used for woodworking. It is one of the first handled tools used by Hominids. It is similar...
Scope note Arrowhead
Arrowhead
Even if arrows were mostly used for hunting, they could be used as war weapons. Some arrowheads have been...
Scope note Awl
Awl
An awl was a stone tool tapered to a point and used to punch holes in bones, teeth, shells, or wood...
Scope note Biface
Biface
The biface was a multifunctional tool. Its cutting edges were used to chop wood, to cut meat, or to scrape...
Scope note Blade
Blade
A blade is a flat, long and wide stone fragment. Blades were multifunctional tools which were sharp like...
Scope note Cave bear jaw
Cave bear jaw
Ursus spelaeus, commonly known as cave bear, first appeared 250,000 years ago and died out approximately...
Scope note Ceramic shard
Ceramic shard
In order to stock food and carry water, sedentary farmers produced remarkable clay potteries, which were...
Scope note Chasséen vase
Chasséen vase
Chasséen culture is the name given to an archaeological culture of the Middle Neolithic. Chasséens were...
Scope note Chopping tool
Chopping tool
Chopping tools are usually made of pebble or soft stone. A hard stone was used in order to make the cutting...
Scope note Copper arrowhead
Copper arrowhead
Copper arrowheads often seem to have been used several times. Most of the time, they are found cracked or...
Scope note Dagger
Dagger
The high skill level displayed in the manufacture of a handle, added to the rarity and beauty of the...
Scope note Grinding stone
Grinding stone
During prehistoric times, grain milling was achieved on stationary bedstones on which grains were crushed...
Scope note Knife
Knife
It is probably the most common, everyday tool. It is often quite straightforward, since any stone fragment or...
Scope note Levallois point
Levallois point
A new technique of stone knapping was developed by precursors of modern humans during the Palaeolithic period...
Scope note Microliths
Microliths
Microliths are very small stone tools, usually a centimeter long or so, sometimes less. These very small...
Scope note Polished axe
Polished axe
Axes were essential to deforestation activities, which in turn enabled the creation of farming fields, but...
Scope note Scraper
Socket axe
Socket axe
The Bronze Age marks the coming of age of a metal industry based on copper, tin and lead.
Scope note Spindle whorl
Spindle whorl
A spindle whorl is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of...
Scope note Terra sigillata
Terra sigillata
Terra sigillata (aka samian ware) is a type of thin-walled ceramics used for table service during the Roman...
Scope noteHow to use this interactive map ?
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Muséum d'histoire naturelle
Place du Vieux Marché
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Phone : +33(0)2 35 41 37 28
museum@lehavre.fr
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