oldest ethnographic weapons handaxes

josh stout · 4th March 2015, 04:57 PM

The Mahogany obsidian was found near Fern Cave in the Lava Beds National Monument circa 1890. It is by far the best in my collection.

I certainly agree that they are quite widespread. I think the "Swiss Army Knife" hypothesis is quite plausible, and wonder about aspects of the general form. Even though they are described as symmetrical in the literature, I see one edge with more of a curve, and one being almost straight on most examples. There are a few, particularly Neolithic examples, that are close to symmetrical, but I think this is a case where a concept has entered the discussion, and it is resisting empirical observations to the contrary.

I also would love to find evidence that they were used with a hand protector. I seem to remember a firsthand account from Australia and I have seen dioramas depicting it, nevertheless, most mentions of this practice do not refer to specific examples. One of the use experiments of butchery done with reproduction Acheulean handaxes at the English site at Boxgrove (Toth) described a firm grip without a protector, once the blood made the stone sticky.

josh stout · 4th March 2015, 05:32 PM

Here is a large biface that I would call a neolithic handaxe. Found in Mali, it shows a nice patina, and has nice color.

The example is more or less symmetrical, and to me, seems distinctly different from the more common asymmetrical examples. For some reason, this is how most archaeologists would describe a handaxe, despite it being quite different visually.

VANDOO · 7th March 2015, 12:05 AM

THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF WHAT IS FOUND IN MY AREA WE REFER TO THEM AS SCRAPERS BUT THEY SERVE SEVERAL FUNCTIONS LIKE THE HAND AX DOES.
#1.THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES THAT HAS THE NATURAL SMOOTH RIND OF THE FLINT ROCK THAT FITS NICELY INTO THE PALM AND A SHARK TOOTH SHAPED BLADE.
#2 & #3. ARE REFERED TO AS TURTLE BACK SCRAPERS AND THE THICK ROUNDED BACK FITS IN THE PALM AND THE ENTIRE TOOL CAN BE ROTATED USING DIFERENT PARTS OF THE EDGE AS NEEDED.
#4 & #5. THIS ONE HAS THE NATURAL SMOOTH RIND LIKE THE #1 ABOVE BUT IS A DIFFERENT FORM. ONE PICTURE SHOWS HOW IT IS HELD.
#6. HERE IS A PICTURE OF RILEY-NUECES TOOLS. THIS HAS VARIOUS FORMS THE RETANGULAR ONE IS LIKE ONE I HAVE THAT HAS A KNOB LEFT ON ONE SIDE TO PUT YOUR THUMB ON FOR A SECURE GRIP.
THESE EXAMPLES ARE FROM TEXAS. THESE TOOLS ARE OFTEN DESIGNED TO FIT THE HAND AND HAVE VARIOUS KNOBS, CURVES AND HOLLOWS TO FACILITATE THE USERS GRIP AND ALIGN THE EDGE.

4th March 2015, 04:57 PM	#1
josh stout Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 407	The Mahogany obsidian was found near Fern Cave in the Lava Beds National Monument circa 1890. It is by far the best in my collection. I certainly agree that they are quite widespread. I think the "Swiss Army Knife" hypothesis is quite plausible, and wonder about aspects of the general form. Even though they are described as symmetrical in the literature, I see one edge with more of a curve, and one being almost straight on most examples. There are a few, particularly Neolithic examples, that are close to symmetrical, but I think this is a case where a concept has entered the discussion, and it is resisting empirical observations to the contrary. I also would love to find evidence that they were used with a hand protector. I seem to remember a firsthand account from Australia and I have seen dioramas depicting it, nevertheless, most mentions of this practice do not refer to specific examples. One of the use experiments of butchery done with reproduction Acheulean handaxes at the English site at Boxgrove (Toth) described a firm grip without a protector, once the blood made the stone sticky.

4th March 2015, 05:32 PM	#2
josh stout Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 407	Here is a large biface that I would call a neolithic handaxe. Found in Mali, it shows a nice patina, and has nice color. The example is more or less symmetrical, and to me, seems distinctly different from the more common asymmetrical examples. For some reason, this is how most archaeologists would describe a handaxe, despite it being quite different visually. Attached Images

7th March 2015, 12:05 AM	#3
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF WHAT IS FOUND IN MY AREA WE REFER TO THEM AS SCRAPERS BUT THEY SERVE SEVERAL FUNCTIONS LIKE THE HAND AX DOES. #1.THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES THAT HAS THE NATURAL SMOOTH RIND OF THE FLINT ROCK THAT FITS NICELY INTO THE PALM AND A SHARK TOOTH SHAPED BLADE. #2 & #3. ARE REFERED TO AS TURTLE BACK SCRAPERS AND THE THICK ROUNDED BACK FITS IN THE PALM AND THE ENTIRE TOOL CAN BE ROTATED USING DIFERENT PARTS OF THE EDGE AS NEEDED. #4 & #5. THIS ONE HAS THE NATURAL SMOOTH RIND LIKE THE #1 ABOVE BUT IS A DIFFERENT FORM. ONE PICTURE SHOWS HOW IT IS HELD. #6. HERE IS A PICTURE OF RILEY-NUECES TOOLS. THIS HAS VARIOUS FORMS THE RETANGULAR ONE IS LIKE ONE I HAVE THAT HAS A KNOB LEFT ON ONE SIDE TO PUT YOUR THUMB ON FOR A SECURE GRIP. THESE EXAMPLES ARE FROM TEXAS. THESE TOOLS ARE OFTEN DESIGNED TO FIT THE HAND AND HAVE VARIOUS KNOBS, CURVES AND HOLLOWS TO FACILITATE THE USERS GRIP AND ALIGN THE EDGE. Attached Images