British/European 'Handaxe Sculpture' Symbolizing Traditon / b)swanscmbbif1

Oakley (1998: fig.32): "Acheulian hand-axe associated with Swanscombe [Middle Gravels] skull."

Characteristic triangular handaxe from the Swanscombe Middle Gravels. Such handaxes belong to the 'Pointed Cordiform Group with Ovates' of the British Acheulian as defined by Derek Roe (1981: table 13). [Roe, D. (1981). The Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Periods in Britain. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul].The Swanscombe Middle Gravels are dated to OIS 11, c. 400,000 BP. For dating see Bowen, D., Hughes, S., Sykes, G., and Miller, G. (1989). Land-sea correlations in the Pleistocene based on isoleucine epimerization in non-marine molluscs. Nature 340: 49-50.

Comment: If the Swanscombe Middle Gravel artisans were adept at making ovates--now believed to be the 'perfect' tool for meatcutting as demonstrated at Boxgrove--why would they also need to specialize in making triangular and subtriangular-shaped handaxes? Further, the association with a skull may be coincidental or it may be not.

Illus. © Oakley, K. P. (1961). Man the tool-maker. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Figure 32.