Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T13:39:41.139Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Examining the Presence of Symmetry within Acheulean Handaxes: A Case Study in the British Palaeolithic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2015

James Cole*
Affiliation:
School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK Email: [email protected]

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between the presence of symmetry and the Acheulean biface within a predominantly British Lower Palaeolithic context. There has been a long-standing notion within Palaeolithic studies that Acheulean handaxes are symmetrical and become increasingly so as time progress as a reflection of increasing hominin cognitive and behavioural complexity. Specifically, the presence of symmetry within Acheulean handaxes is often seen as one of the first examples of material culture being used to mediate social relationships. However, this notion has never been satisfactorily tested against a large data set. This paper seeks to address the issue by conducting an analysis of some 2680 bifaces across a chronological and geographical span. The results from the sample presented here are that symmetrical bifaces do not appear to have a particularly strong presence in any assemblage and do not appear to increase as time progress. These results have significant implications for modern researchers assessing the cognitive and behavioural complexities of Acheulean hominins.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)