This Australian Aboriginal stone axe was purchased from an Archaeologist in Darwin, Australia by world traveler and collector, Ben Ruhe, in 1979. The axe was dated as 30,000 - 32,000 BP by the archaeologist, making it Paleolithic, even though it was ground and polished, as you would find in a neolithic artifact. Apparently, Australia is the only location where neolithic technologies were employed in the paleolithic period. Ben later verified the Australian archeologist's claim by having it examined by an archeologist in Cambridge, England. This stone axe has residue of spinifex resin and ochre, indicating that the axe was probably re-used in the more recent past by Aborigines. Length = 8 cm ; Weight = 206 gm