British/European 'Handaxe Sculpture' Symbolizing Traditon / d)frzeplat

Wymer (1982: pl. XIII): "Giant hand-axe. Acheulian industry. Furze Platt, Maidenhead, England. (Photograph: reproduced courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History))." Length: 39.5 cm or 15.6 inches; weight 7.5 pounds. Wymer points out many puzzling facts about handaxes that are inexplicable from a merely utilitarian interpretation (103-104). He mentions the puzzle of "large, magnificently made hand-axes which seem too good (Plate XIII-XIV) or too heavy to use" (103).

The Furze Platt industry belongs to the Pointed Cordiform Group and dates to OIS 9, c. 300,000 BP.

Photo © Wymer, J. (1982). The palaeolithic age. New York: St. Martin’s. Plate XIII (Photograph: reproduced courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History)).