British/European 'Handaxe Sculpture' Symbolizing Traditon / c)swanscbif2

Roe (1981: fig.3:7): "Finely made ovate handaxes from the Upper Loam at Barnfield Pit (nos 1-4), from Rickson's Pit (nos 5-9) and from Pearson's Pit, Dartford (nos 10-12). Note the shallow 'soft hammer' flaking, and the occurrence of tranchet finish (e.g. nos 7, 8, etc.) and twisted profile (nos 5, 6, etc.). After Waechter (1973)." The Swanscombe Upper Loam belongs to the ‘ovate tradition’ and is dated to OIS 11.

This site is typical of that the British Acheulian 'Ovate-Cordiform' Group. It is separate tradition from the Pointed Cordiform tradition within the overall Acheulian. Whether some of the British Ovate-Cordiform Group ovates served a symbolic function or other stone artifacts in this tradition had such a function is yet to be adequately examined.

Illus. © Roe, D. (1981). The Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Periods in Britain. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul]. Figure 3:7. After Waechter, J. d'A. (1973). The Late Middle Acheulian industries in the Swanscombe area. In D. E. Strong (ed.) Archaeological Theory and Practice: 67-86. London: Seminar Press.