The creation of tools utilizing the
natural environment is what
distinguishes man from animal.
What was once created using
stone and wood has, over the
centuries, evolved into
metalworking and modern-day
plastics. But it is the simplest tools,
those carved from stone, which
allowed mankind to conquer the
natural environment and to
prosper. Holding this flint axe head
in our hand, although it appears
rough and crude, we are holding
the nascent breath of the great
civilization of Egypt. From such axe
heads would eventually rise the
pyramids. Tools allowed mankind
to altar the natural settings and to
create his own habitats. An axe
head like this one, when tied
securely to a wooden shaft, could
be used to chop wood or to carve
meat from a fallen prey. This axe
head represents the innate human
drive to altar the environment, to
innovate, and to create something
stronger and more durable. It is in
these earliest tools that we are
able to witness the birth of
civilization. From such tools,
mankind learned to carve stones
and rocks into new shapes and
forms that suited the needs of the
people, slowly evolving from
primitive axe heads into pyramids
and temples
- (CK.0749)
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