Instrument van vuursteen, datering onzeker before 1869

This is a photographic print of a flint tool, made at an uncertain date by an anonymous artist. Given the title, we can assume this tool was found in the Seine Valley, a region of northern France rich in Paleolithic history. What did it mean to classify and display the tools of prehistoric people in the late 19th and early 20th centuries? These objects, often found in colonized lands, were used to justify the colonizer’s narrative of progress. This image invites questions about the relationship between human history and the tools we create. It encourages us to reflect on how seemingly simple objects can carry complex meanings, reflecting both the ingenuity of early humans and the complicated history of archaeological interpretation. It’s a stark reminder that history is not a straightforward narrative, but a collection of fragments pieced together.