Station: [135] Sprotta Hand Axe

We’ve dedicated a whole showcase to this exhibit. The Sprotta hand axe is a late-Neanderthal masterpiece. The tool was found in northern Saxony in 1996 and dates back to 50,000 years ago.  If you have a closer look at it you will see that it is in fact quite beautiful. Like the collecting of fossilized sea urchins, the Sprotta hand axe would also suggest that the Neanderthals did have a sense for aesthetic appeal.