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 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 alter the
natural settings and to create their own
habitats. An axe head like this one, when tied
securely to a wooden shaft, could be used to
chop wood or to carve the meat of a fallen
prey. This axe head represents the innate
human drive to alter 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.0049)
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