Stones of Contention: The Acheulean Handaxe Lethal Projectile Controversy

Abstract

The function of the Acheulean handaxe is controversial. Several competing usage theories are currently being debated amongst paleoanthropologists. One such hypothesis is the lethal projectile theory. Past experimentation has indicated that the handaxe could have been used as a lethal projectile thrown from a distance to hunt prey. Ibis actualistic study augments such experimentation. The latest argument posed by Whittaker and McCall opposing the utility of the lethal projectile theory indicates vastly different results from O'Brien's experimentation, which was notable for finding that a majority of thrown handaxes landed point or edge first. Whittaker and McCall's study found that a significant proportion of impacts were flat-face landings.

This study increases the data set, using three separate handaxe replicas. It results in an edge/point landing percentage that is comparable to O'Brien's results and suggests that O'Brien's findings are representative of the past situation, although functional hypotheses that support the handaxe as a general utility tool are not discounted. While the evidence produced by this study is equivocal, it generally supports the efficacy of throwing as a function for the Acheulean handaxe.