HAND AZE

Which is our oldest piece? This one, without a doubt! Of course, it appeared 1.6 million years ago in Africa – although, at that time, it was made of stone … The hand axe: a large utensil carved on both sides with an extraordinary symmetry, applied both to axes and to cleavers or picks. Such is its beauty that many archaeologists do not consider it a tool, rather a sculpture in itself. They are believed to have been made by Homo ergaster, a species still far removed from modern man but with astonishing intelligence, capacity for reflection, and self-awareness. And so we come to the inevitable question: can we live up to tradition?