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Lot 182
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Neolithic Saharan Stone Hand Tools - Group of Three Knapped Implements
Neolithic Saharan Stone Hand Tools - Group of Three Knapped Implements
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North Africa, Sahara, Neolithic, ca. 7000–3000 BCE. A trio of hand-worked stone implements struck from warm-toned siliceous rock, their surfaces ranging from amber and rose to smoky gray. Each was shaped by percussion flaking, the removal scars rippling across faces that retain the lustrous patina of long burial in desert sand. Two carry tapering, leaf-like profiles suited to cutting or scraping, while the third presents a broader, rounded form that sits comfortably in the palm. These were the workaday tools of Saharan herders and foragers during the African Humid Period, when grasslands and lakes drew human settlement across what is now arid waste. Their bifacial working and edge geometry speak to a practiced lithic tradition, the knapper's intent legible in every conchoidal flake. Utilitarian rather than ceremonial, they preserve the rhythm of daily survival in stone. Size of largest: 2.3" W x 4.9" H (5.8 cm W x 12.4 cm H).

During the African Humid Period (roughly 11,000 to 5,000 years ago), the Sahara was a mosaic of lakes, rivers, and savanna supporting cattle herders, fishers, and hunter-gatherers whose stone toolkits are scattered across the present-day desert. Surface finds of this kind, recovered from deflated sand sheets, are among the most abundant material traces of that vanished green Sahara. The reddish and honeyed hues derive from iron staining and wind-polish acquired over millennia of exposure.

Provenance: private Colorado, USA collection

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Item # 200160

  • Condition: Very Good. Some chips to edges, commensurate with age. Otherwise, all are very nice.

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by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000