Cutting edge design: pointed paleolithic hand axe

This finely pointed flint tool found in London was made by early humans around 350,000 years ago, long before homo sapiens reached Britain, but the way it has been shaped shows a strong feeling for symmetry and even 'beauty'. The British isles were only sporadically settled by early humans, as violent variations in the climate drove hunters back to mainland Europe. Yet this crafted object shows that even the first explorers here had aesthetic feelings
Illustration: © The Trustees of the British Museum