I like the Sci fi "evolution" (Stephen Baxter, 2002) theory that making good hand axes was a bowerbird like breeding show ritual, with no intent to use: the value is proving you CAN.
He probably had good inputs from his sources to fictionalise this.
Can anyone recommend a good fast YouTube video summarising approach? 2x speed play only goes so far.
If it’s ancient and you can’t figure out what they are for, there’s a high probability that’s either used for spiritual rituals (aka just getting high on some drugs), or something has to do with humans’ reproduction, sexual or maternal labour/delivery.
> I don't get it, isn't 'handaxe' pretty suggestive
yes
> of its primary use?
That we don't know, that's the point. (And why handaxe is arguably a bad name, because it suggests a certainty about what it was used for that we don't have).
If it were called "throwing toy" that'd also be pretty suggestive of a primary use...
There are millions of things we can never know about ancient humans, nor is it likely these will be understood with any degree of certainty in the future.
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[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 45.7 ms ] threadHe probably had good inputs from his sources to fictionalise this.
Can anyone recommend a good fast YouTube video summarising approach? 2x speed play only goes so far.
This could suggest that it is something people were using before they left Africa.
Either that or they all found a common use for the same sort of thing.
Sure a lot of them don't have noticeable wear but frequent sharpening seems like a plausible enough explanation, I don't see why more is needed.
yes
> of its primary use?
That we don't know, that's the point. (And why handaxe is arguably a bad name, because it suggests a certainty about what it was used for that we don't have).
If it were called "throwing toy" that'd also be pretty suggestive of a primary use...
I don't follow, what exactly is the point?
There are millions of things we can never know about ancient humans, nor is it likely these will be understood with any degree of certainty in the future.