Big enough to matter: on the frequency and chronology of giant handaxes in the British Lower Palaeolithic

Hypertrophic ‘giant’ handaxes are a rare component of Acheulean assemblages, yet have been central to debates relating to the social, cognitive and cultural ‘meaning’ of these enigmatic tools. The authors examine giant handaxes from the perspective of the British record and suggest that they are chr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inAntiquity Vol. 98; no. 398; pp. 305 - 322
Main Authors Dale, Luke, Rawlinson, Aaron, Knowles, Pete, Foulds, Frederick, Ashton, Nick, Bridgland, David, White, Mark
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.04.2024
Subjects
Archaeology
Cognition
Excavation
Geology
Morphology
Museums
Paleolithic
Social meaning
Stone
Symmetry
Variance analysis
British Isles
Lower Palaeolithic
MIS 9 (~300 000 years ago)
Britain
symmetry
stone-tool morphology
Acheulean handaxes
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Hypertrophic ‘giant’ handaxes are a rare component of Acheulean assemblages, yet have been central to debates relating to the social, cognitive and cultural ‘meaning’ of these enigmatic tools. The authors examine giant handaxes from the perspective of the British record and suggest that they are chronologically patterned, with the great majority originating from contexts broadly associated with Marine Isotope Stage 9. Giant handaxes tend to have higher symmetry than non-giants, and extravagant forms, such as ficrons, are better represented; they may therefore be linked to incipient aesthetic sensibilities and, potentially, to changing cognition at the transition between the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic.
ISSN:0003-598X
1745-1744
DOI:10.15184/aqy.2024.30