History
Examples of hand axes first appeared 1.6mya in the later Oldowan (Mode I), called the "developed Oldowan" by Mary Leakey, but became more abundant in mode II Acheulean industries that appear in what is now Southern Ethiopia around 1.4 million years ago, although some of the best examples come from 1.2 million year old deposits in Olduvai Gorge. They are also known in Mousterian industries. In North America, hand axes make up one of the dominant tool industries, starting from the terminal Pleistocene and continuing throughout the Holocene. For example, the Folsom point and Clovis point traditions (collectively known as the fluted points) are associated with Paleo Indians, some of the first people to colonize the new world (see Models of migration to the New World). Further, hand axe technology is almost unknown in Australian prehistory.
Oldowan hand axes appeared sometime between 1.6 and 1.4 million years ago. They are most closely associated with Homo ergaster. The average hand axe from H. ergaster was 15 cm (6 in), but some were as long as 30 cm (12 in). Unlike earlier stone tool technology, hand axes have three distinctive shapes; hand axes, cleavers, and picks. Hand axes were shaped like a tear drop, with two cutting edges and a sharp point. Cleavers were like hand axes, but with the point broken off and replaced with a cutting edge. Picks were thicker, more triangular hand axes. These three shapes are very uniform. For example, the ratio of the length and width of hand axes is fairly consistent across hand axes from this period. These hand axed tools were possibly used in five ways by H. ergaster.
- 1. Butchering hunted or scavenged animals
- 2. Digging for tubers, animals, water
- 3. Removing tree bark
- 4. Throwing at prey
- 5. Source for flake tools
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