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How did Mousterian tools differ from Acheulean hand axes?

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The Venus of Willendorf, a small Upper Paleolithic limestone figurine with exaggerated female features and textured head, displayed against a black background. — Paleolithic Period The Venus of Willendorf, a Upper Paleolithic limestone figurine originally colored with red ochre, 30,000–25,000 bce, found at Willendorf, Lower Austria; in the Natural History Museum, Vienna.

The Acheulean and Mousterian industries represent distinct stages of Paleolithic Period toolmaking, characterized by different manufacturing techniques and tool types.

Acheulean Industry

The Acheulean industry, associated with Homo erectus and early Homo sapiens, is defined by the production of large, standardized bifacial tools, most notably hand axes and cleavers. These tools were crafted by flaking stone cores—initially using anvil stones, then hammerstones, and eventually bone or wood "hammers"—to create symmetrical implements with relatively straight, sharp edges.1

Mousterian Industry

The Mousterian industry, associated with Neanderthal populations, emerged as the Acheulean tradition was gradually replaced. While Acheulean tools focused on large bifaces, Mousterian assemblages are characterized by a greater emphasis on flake tools, such as sidescrapers and triangular points. These were often produced using the Levalloisian stone-flaking technique, which involved preparing a core to strike off flakes of a predetermined shape. Mousterian tool kits were highly specialized and diverse, including small hand axes made from disk-shaped cores, denticulate instruments, and even specialized weapons like bolas.213