Prehistoric axe found in Kudus

Yogyakarta’s archeological department has found a 700,000 year-old prehistoric axe in Terban village, Jekulo district, seven kilometers to the eastern part of Kudus, West Java.

The axe was found near the shore of a river in the village. Experts from the department are currently still in the middle of excavating the artifact.

According to department head Siswanto the axe was made of frozen basalt and was measured with 12 centimeters in length and about two to five centimeters of thickness.

“It is one of type of tools used by homo erectus living around 700,000 to one million years ago here,” he said as quoted by Kompas.com in Terban near the site where he found the axe.

He identified the site as Patiayam in Kancilan formation. Siswanto said the axe discovery was the second this year in Patiayam, while a fossil of an elephant was also found earlier at the Kancilan formation.

”The axe will be kept and studied at the department’s office,” he said. (and)