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Updated: Jun 21, 2025

Dissection, MicroCT Scanning and Morphometric Analyses of the Baculum

Dissection, MicroCT Scanning and Morphometric Analyses of the Baculum

Published on: March 19, 2017

When is a handaxe a planned-axe? exploring morphological variability in the Acheulean.

James Clark¹, Ceri Shipton^2,3, Marie-Hélène Moncel⁴

¹Department of Archaeology, Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

|July 16, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Stone tool handaxe shape varies across regions, but not due to material or resharpening. Instead, reduction strategies differed, showing hominin behavioral flexibility in tool use during the Palaeolithic era.

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Area of Science:

Archaeology
Palaeoanthropology
Lithic Technology

Background:

The handaxe is a key artifact defining the Acheulean and Palaeolithic periods.
Previous research debated handaxe morphological variability and its drivers (raw material, blank type, resharpening).
A lack of high-resolution studies examining these factors concurrently hindered understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze handaxe morphological variability across Africa, the Levant, and Western Europe.
To investigate the influence of raw material, blank type, and resharpening on handaxe shape.
To understand hominin behavior through the lens of lithic technology.

Main Methods:

A 2D geometric morphometric analysis was performed.
1097 handaxes from Africa, the Levant, and Western Europe were examined.
Statistical analysis explored patterns of variability and influencing factors.

Main Results:

Handaxe shape significantly varies between sites and continental regions.
No significant evidence was found for raw material, blank type, or resharpening driving this pattern.
Markers of reduction trajectory varied substantially between sites.

Conclusions:

Hominin behavioral flexibility is indicated by differing handaxe reduction strategies.
These strategies reflect site-specific needs, from maintaining cutting edges to shaping tips.
This suggests a continuum of reduction strategies adapted to diverse hominin activities.