Acheulean
or A·cheu·li·an
[uh-shoo-lee-uh n]
- 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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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), orig. with nouns ending in -é
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Examples from the Web for acheulian
Historical Examples
Acheulian, a term applied by archologists to the late stage of Chellean civilization in the Pleistocene Age.
Acheulian
Acheulean
archaeol
- (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
- (in Africa) the period represented by every stage of hand axe development
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- of or relating to this period
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Word Origin
C20: after St Acheul, town in northern France
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Acheulian
- 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.
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