VERY LARGE CELT
AFRICA
COPYRIGHT FEBRUARY 28, 2014 PETER A. BOSTROM
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    This very large celt was reportedly found in one of the Sahara desert region countries of either Mali or Niger. The small celts at lower right illustrate a size comparison. Stone axes and celts vary greatly in size, depending on their intended use. Large heavy axes could have been used for such tasks as breaking ice, pounding stakes, or splitting logs. The size variation is quite remarkable. Hodge reported in 1912, that the axes in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution range in size from "upwards of 30 pounds to scarcely an ounce." An average size for a stone axe seems to be between 3 and 6 inches (8 cm to 16 cm) in length.

A very large ungrooved axe from Africa, Neolithic.

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