acheulian

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.

noun

1. (in Europe) the period in the Lower Palaeolithic following the Abbevillian, represented by the use of soft hammerstones in hand axe production made of chipped stone, bone, antler, or wood. The Acheulian dates from the Riss glaciation
2. (in Africa) the period represented by every stage of hand axe development

adjective

3. of or relating to this period

1. Relating to a stage of tool culture of the Lower Paleolithic Period, dating from around 1.5 million to 150,000 years ago, characterized especially by flaked bifacial hand axes, cleavers, and other core tools. The earliest Acheulian tools have been found at African sites associated with Homo erectus fossils. Later examples have been found at numerous sites in the Middle East, Europe, and western and southern Asia.