Handaxe reduction and its influence on shape: An experimental test and archaeological case study

The interpretation of handaxe shape is one of the most prominent questions in Acheulean archaeological studies. Nowhere is this question as sharply defined as in Britain, where there are a number of distinct handaxe shape types. Recently reduction intensity has come to the fore as an explanation for the creation of different biface shapes, however many Acheulean researchers do not see compelling evidence for differential reduction at their sites. In this study we report an experiment in which knappers, naïve as to the goal of the experiment, reduced handaxes according to different protocols. Changes in shape and flake scar density were recorded as reduction progressed. These trajectories of shape change are compared to those seen at five British Acheulean sites: Boxgrove, High Lodge, Hitchin, Swanscombe, and Broom. Our results show that although there is evidence for differential reduction intensity at these sites, this did not have a strong influence on shape. Reduction was never exhaustive, suggesting that the life history of these tools was short. Temporally and spatially variable traditions are a better fit for the observed patterns of shape variation.