Spikins, Penny orcid.org/0000-0002-9174-5168 (2012) Goodwill Hunting?:Debates on the 'meaning' of lower palaeolithic handaxe form revisited. World Archaeology. pp. 378-392. ISSN 1470-1375
Abstract
There has been intense debate over the ‘meaning’ of Lower Palaeolithic handaxe form for more than a decade. Handaxes date from around 1.7 million years onwards, and many show attention to elements of form such as symmetry and a conformity to the ‘golden ratio’ which go beyond immediate function. Our challenge in interpreting such patterning is that we cannot assume a ‘modern’ cognition to the makers of Acheulian handaxes nor capacities to negotiate concepts such as status or symbolism which we use to explain non-functional or elaborate forms in modern contexts. Existing interpretations of handaxe form have been dominated by the seminal ‘sexy handaxe theory’ (Kohn and Mithen 1999) which envisaged the production of handaxes as driven by sexual selection processes common to all mammal species. In contrast it is argued here that an emerging concern with reputation building seen amongst higher primates developed within highly collaborative Acheulian societies into a concern with ‘trustworthiness’ and the expression of ‘gestures of goodwill’ to others via handaxe form.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2012 Taylor & Francis. This is an author produced preprint version of a paper published in World Archaeology. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 17 Apr 2014 16:00 |
Last Modified: | 02 Apr 2025 23:05 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2012.725889 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/00438243.2012.725889 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:78511 |
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