Rare hand ax — dating back 45,000 years — discovered in Switzerland, photos show

A rare Neanderthal hand ax was recently discovered in Switzerland, officials said.

The tool — a teardrop-shaped stone — was unearthed by George Sprecher, a volunteer, in the canton of Basel-Landschaft, located near the French and German borders.

Dating back at least 45,000 years, the artifact belonged to the Mousterian culture, which is associated with Neanderthals in Europe, according to a June 14 government news release.

The ax, which is well-preserved, could have been used as a general purpose device.

Further excavations at the site revealed additional materials from the same period, including a stone scraper and a flint fragment, officials said.

The abundance of materials indicated the site was once used as a resting place for Neanderthals.

Additionally, an analysis of the ax revealed that its raw material was sourced from an an area in the canton of Jura, about 30 miles away. Excavations there uncovered multiple Mousterian residences, indicating Neanderthals may have visited both places.

The ax is extremely rare as it is only the second of its kind to be found in the canton, officials said.

Neanderthals, our closest ancient relatives, lived between 400,000 and 40,000 years ago, occupying Europe and parts of Asia, according to the Natural History Museum in London.

In addition to being skilled toolmakers and proficient hunters, they were also intelligent, social and capable of compassion.

Google Translate was used to translate a news release from the Swiss government.

This story was originally published June 20, 2024 at 8:07 AM with the headline "Rare hand ax — dating back 45,000 years — discovered in Switzerland, photos show."