This tool group is worked in a richly variegated jasper stone of ochre, burgundy and cream hues, that is characteristic of their Fontmaure source, located in the Vienne department of west-central France. The conchoidal fracture patterns were made by a skilled knapper and are clearly visible across the flaked surfaces. The form is consistent with the Mousterian tradition associated with Neanderthal populations of the European Middle Palaeolithic. Fontmaure is one of the most archaeologically significant jasper mining sites in Europe. Exploited intensively during the Middle Palaeolithic period, it served as a major raw material source, with tools and débitage identified at sites distributed across a wide surrounding area, testimony to the mobility and exchange networks of Neanderthal groups. The site was excavated and studied by the French prehistorian Louis Pradel during the mid-twentieth century and Fontmaure jasper has since become recognisable to stone specialists by its distinctive colouration and texture. The vivid natural patterning of these examples suggests that the raw material may have been selected partly for its visual qualities as well as its functional properties, evidence of an early aesthetic awareness.