On the basis of the number of excellently excavated and recorded sites the entire lower Palaeolithic of Europe is studied under two litho-cultural traditions. Here the implication of the term ‘litho-cultural’, for a layman’s understandings is that since the available cultural remains of this period is largely stone tools, these are used as the basis of deriving various cultural features from this period.These two traditions are(1)Pebble-flake Tradition, and (2) Abbevillio-Acheulian Tradition.
D.K. Bhattacharya (1978) suggests that this is a provisional name given to a series of industries known from England in the west to Leipzig (E. Germany) in the east. This is better understood as a non-handaxe tradition whose earliest occurrence may be traced back to the middle of Mindel glacial and it might have continued upto the end of the following inter-glacial. Generally, these finds consist of some pebble or core choppers and chopping tools accompanied by thick flakes of big size Abbevillian and Acheulian cultures also known as Abbevillio-Acheulian Culture/traditions owe their names to St. Acheul and Abbevil, two places in France. Since similar handaxes have been recovered from both these places the typological description of the two may be done interchangeably. Chellean Culture (on the name of another site in Northern France) is also an integral part of this tradition.It is too close to the Acheulian culture to be described separately in all it’s details. Hence, Chellean, Acheulian and Abbevillian Culture are described in an inseparable cluster with some very pointed out in between in any such description The representative tool of these lower Palaeolithic cultures is Handaxe.The earliest found are described as Chellean handaxes. These are usually large in size and resemble a pear and hence known as pear shaped handaxes. Their lateral sides converge on a pointed end with the opposite end left unflaked so that it may be used as buttend to hold the tool in actual use. Nobody is sure about it’s actual use. Perhaps it was a multipurpose tool with emphasis on digging and piercing (because of the pointed workingend).Chellean handaxes have been found from England, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Syria, Palestine, Java, Africa and India. Since similar looking handaxes have also been recovered from Abbevilla it may also be called as Abbevillian handaxe.The associated finds suggest that these people should have been living in a warm climate totally naked and dependent upon food gathering and hunting.
After the discovery of Abbevillian and Chellean handaxes, a large number of handaxes were found.These are Acheulian handaxes. These are smaller in size and look better made and refined as compared to the earlier ones.These are found to the heavily flaked on both the sides while the earlier ones, though also bifacial, had more flaking on one side leaving the other scantily flaked.
Acheulian handaxes have also been found ovate shaped and sometime even irregularly shaped. Some tools have also been fashioned‘S’shaped. Acheullian like tools have also been found from several sites of Africa and Asia and their distribution is equally far and wide. Although archaeological evidences of the habitat and economy are too scanty to be organised into a fool proof arrangement, yet it may be suggested that the lower Palaeolithic people preferred open land near rivers for their camps.They also did mammal hunting.The amount of elephant bones recovered from the sites suggest that elephant hunting should be a common practice. Since hunting of such a large mammal involved cooperation, it should be a cooperative venture involving not only intra group but also intergroup communication and social intercourse.