Testing the functional utility of handaxe symmetry: fallow deer butchery with replica handaxes

“The Acheulean handaxe has been described by Wymer (1982) as the enigma of the Lower Palaeolithic. Whilst most now agree that it fulfilled a role as a heavy duty butchery tool there is still considerable debate concerning the significance of its distinctive morphology and, in particular, the presence of symmetry, often in more than one plane. This paper reports on experiments designed to empirically test one of the theories for the presence of symmetry, namely that a high degree of symmetry improves the handaxe’s effectiveness as a butchery tool. Two fallow deer carcasses were butchered using eight handaxes of varying degrees of symmetry, and the artefacts’ effectiveness for butchery was measured in a variety of ways. Results show that there does not appear to be a clear relationship between degree of symmetry and the effectiveness of a handaxe for butchery and that the most important handaxe attribute where butchery is concerned is a multi-purpose cutting edge. Full reference: Machin, A.J., Hosfield, R. & Mithen, S.J. 2005. Testing the functional utility of handaxe symmetry: fallow deer butchery with replica handaxes. Lithics: The Journal of the Lithic Studies Society 26: 23–37. Key words: Acheulean handaxe, function, symmetry, experimental butchery, cutting edge . . .”