Acheulean

American  

[uh-shoo-lee-uhn] / əˈʃu li ən /

Or 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.

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Etymology

Origin of Acheulean

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

See Examples For:

Acheulean

The researchers discovered clear evidence of burning within an archaeological layer associated with early Acheulean artifacts, likely linked to Homo erectus.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026

These tools were heavy and powerful, the signature of an era of ancient hominin technology known as the Acheulean.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 15, 2018

Even though H. erectus in East Africa had invented hand axes, part of the so-called Acheulean toolkit, by 1.76 million years ago, none have been found here at Dmanisi.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 22, 2016

The earliest dated Acheulean is about 1.75 million years ago from southern Ethiopia and from Lake Turkana in Kenya.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 19, 2015

Lower Acheulean shows little variation, but with Upper Acheulean certain animals indicating a colder climate make their appearance, including the mammoth, Elephas primigenius, and the woolly rhinoceros, R. tichorhinus, but no reindeer.

From Man, Past and Present by Alfred Court Haddon