Chopping tool

Chopping tool

In archaeology, a chopping tool is a form of prehistoric stone tool, considered to be a refinement of the earlier chopper.

Chopping tool, from Gran Dolina, level TD-6 (780.000 BCE)

Unlike the crude chopper, the chopping tool is created by removing flakes from two sides of a lithic core. It is a true biface tool although not as finely worked as the later handaxe which is worked all over its surface into a more ergonomic shape with pointed tip and rounded butt end. The cutting edge of the chopping tool is not straight as the flaking from either side gives it a sinuous appearance when viewed end-on.

Chopping tools were employed in Middle Palaeolithic industries, especially in Asia where they have been found at sites such as Choukoutien.