Two British handaxes
- Audio guide stop: 122
- Gallery: Room 1
- Audio guide: one commentary for a group of objects shown together
- Museum: The British Museum
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About these objects
These two British handaxes are part of a historical display examining some of the earliest known tools in human history. Dating back to the Palaeolithic period, around 350,000 years ago, they offer a rare look at how ancient people shaped stone for use as weapons and tools. Before these discoveries, shaped stones like these were often mistaken for natural formations.
Look closely at "The Grays Inn Lane handaxe"—this important piece was the first of its kind to be recorded and published with an illustration, which appeared in a letter included in a 1715 book. Found in 1673 by John Conyers near what is now Farringdon Road, it was once thought to be an ancient weapon used by the Britons. This handaxe was made from flint, carefully chipped to form a pointed shape.
Another remarkable feature of this collection is the historical journey of these objects through private collections and scholars before joining museum collections. The story of these handaxes is not just a tale of ancient tools, but also one of how curiosity and discovery helped reshape our understanding of the deep past.
See it in person
Two British handaxes is on display in Room 1 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 122, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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