An unassuming French customs officer, Jacques Boucher de Perthes, unearthed stone tools in the Somme River gravels, challenging prevailing biblical timelines of human existence. These discoveries, initially met with skepticism, were later verified by British geologists, proving humans lived alongside extinct animals much earlier than believed. This breakthrough laid the foundation for prehistoric archaeology and the concept of the Stone Age, with handaxes becoming key indicators of early human development.
