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Old 18th April 2012, 08:08 PM   #6
josh stout
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Join Date: Mar 2007
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Thanks, it was only when I held these things in my hands that I really started to wonder about their use. There are two in the collection with a rounded side that fits well in the hand and a sharp side for use. One is pointed, like an awl perhaps, while the other has a single bevel edge at an acute angle. These are what I would call tools. While it would be speculation to guess at their exact uses, they are immediately recognizable as made to fit in the hand with many possible uses for the sharp end. What made me wonder, was the more classically shaped hand axes, such as the one I posted. They are a recognizable form that was stable for a million years, all about the size of a hand, give or take 50%. Despite the literature claiming they are symmetrical, they all have a profile that resembles Africa, with a bulge on one side, instead of the tear drop shape as described.

The key point is they do not fit well in the hand. They are often described as Paleolithic Swiss Army knives, but while it would be possible to use them many ways, they do not seem designed for it. They are sharp all the way around. The only thing I can think of is that they are throwing weapons, an idea first proposed by H. G. Wells. If you hold them by the point, or with a finger curled around like a skipping stone, they feel ready to fly. The double bevel with a thicker angle would make them suitable for a percussive blow. I think the asymmetrical bulge adds to the forward weight for the throw. There are versions, not in this collection, that are sharpened circles that remind me of chakrums, and there are thicker longer ones, of which I have one, that could be used in some other manner, but the primary form is the asymmetrical one displayed. Some have argued that all hand axes were ritual objects, with some extremely rare examples that are too large to hold demonstrating that they were not meant for use, but I would say these larger examples are like the extra large keris one sees occasionally that are ritualistic examples of a working weapon. Sometimes smaller examples are found that researchers say would be too small for hunting, and these are also given as examples of the non-utilitarian nature of hand axes. This is why I wanted pictures of extra large and extra small keris, so I could make an argument about a utilitarian form and its variations.

It just seems to me that for a form to stay stable over an inconceivable amount of time, it must be linked to a very obvious function.
Josh
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