chellean: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very Low (Technical/Archaeological)Technical/Scientific
Quick answer
What does “chellean” mean?
Of or relating to Chelle, a French town historically associated with a phase of the Lower Palaeolithic period and its stone tool industry.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
Of or relating to Chelle, a French town historically associated with a phase of the Lower Palaeolithic period and its stone tool industry.
Used in archaeology to describe the early stone tool culture typified by simple bifacial hand-axes, preceding the Acheulean.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in usage; term is equally archaic in both traditions.
Connotations
Historical/conceptual term in the study of human prehistory.
Frequency
Extremely rare outside of specialised archaeological or anthropological texts.
Grammar
How to Use “chellean” in a Sentence
The [site/find] is Chellean.attributed to the Chellean [phase/culture]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “chellean” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The gravel pit yielded several Chellean hand-axes, much earlier than the later flintwork found nearby.
American English
- The museum's display on human origins featured a Chellean biface from North Africa.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used historically in archaeology and anthropology to classify early Palaeolithic stone tool industries.
Everyday
Not used.
Technical
See 'academic'.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “chellean”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “chellean”
- Misspelling as 'Chelian' or 'Chellian'.
- Using it as a current technical term instead of 'Abbevillian'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is largely obsolete. The term 'Abbevillian' is preferred in modern archaeology for this early Palaeolithic culture.
It derives from Chelles, a suburb of Paris, France, where typical stone tools of this type were found in the 19th century.
They are simple, often large, stone hand-axes (bifaces) made by striking flakes from two sides of a core, like a crude teardrop shape.
They are associated with early hominins, such as Homo erectus, during the Lower Palaeolithic period, roughly 1.5 million to 600,000 years ago.
Of or relating to Chelle, a French town historically associated with a phase of the Lower Palaeolithic period and its stone tool industry.
Chellean is usually technical/scientific in register.
Chellean: in British English it is pronounced /ˈʃɛlɪən/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈʃɛliən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a SHELL (Chel-lean) - early humans used stone tools, not seashells, but the sound link can help.
Conceptual Metaphor
PROGRESS IS A CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE (Chellean -> Acheulean -> Mousterian, etc.)
Practice
Quiz
What is the modern, more accurate term for the industry historically called 'Chellean'?