Homo Australipithecus / Hablis / Erectus / Heidelbergensis / Neanderthalensis / Denisovans

by ziddina 54 Replies latest social current

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  NewChapter

  FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

  
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  ziddina

  "So you want to fight? I'm game. Bring it...." Botchtower, page #3, post #5543

  Go fight with your cronies. You bore me.
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  botchtowersociety

  Go fight with your cronies. You bore me.

  You know that's a lie. ;-)
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  ziddina

  On another thread, the subject of Acheulean hand axes came up, along with a "TED" video spotlighting an art analyst who espoused the theory that the axes were produced strictly as "art forms"...

  Imo, that is a fanciful notion not in line with the effort required to produce such objects.

  Here's a 1984 [yeah, I know, a bit old, but...] article written by Eileen M. O'Brian who is a research associate in the Univ. of Georgia Dept. of Anthropology...

  http://www.mesacc.edu/dept/d10/asb/origins/hominid_journey/handaxes.html

  And a pertinent quote from that article:

  "Some have speculated that the hand axe's design was not functional but purely aesthetic or that it was a byproduct of the manufacture of the sharp Rakes used in butchering. Most anthropologists, however, assume it was a practical implement. Initially, prehistorians thought it was a hefted, multipurpose tool and weapon like the stone hatchet, or axe, of the aboriginal Americans and Australians. But there is no evidence that it was hefted until much later in time, not until after the evolution of Homo sapiens. Another proposal, advanced to explain why excavators find some hand axes standing on edge, in situ, is that the hand axe acted as a stationary tool, one edge embedded in the earth while the exposed edge cut or scraped an object passed over it. But the common and traditional interpretation is that it was a hand-held tool for butchering, cutting, scraping, digging, or as its name implies, chopping. ..."

  I really suspect that the Acheuleans/Homo erectus wouldn't put THAT much effort into something, just for it to sit around and be admired... I find the proposal that they stood the hand axe on edge and processed food on the exposed edge, to be fascinating - and quite probable, as I've used some of my hand tools that way myself.
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  ziddina

  Ooh ooh ooh!!! [blast, my last post for 24 hours!]

  Check this out - from the same link above...

  "The first to throw the hand axe discus style was Karl Nyholm. He took the unfamiliar object in his right hand, grasping it every which way before settling on the butt. He tossed it up and down for balance and "feel," then crouched and practiced his swing. Ready, he paced off from the release line. With his back to the field, he spread his legs apart, bent at the knees, and twisted his right arm far behind him. Then he began the throw: his outstretched left hand grasping at air, weight shifting from right foot to left, he rotated to face the field. The burdened right hand swung wide and low and then raced upward With a great exhalation of breath, he hurled himself out straight and let go. Silently, gracefully spinning, the hand a soared.

  Like a discus, the hand axe spun horizon - tally as it rose, but changed its orientation in midair. On reaching its maximum altitude, it rolled onto its edge and descended in a perpendicular position, its spinning motion appearing to decline. Then, with thud, it landed point first, slicing deeply into the thawing earth. In both throwing; bouts, regardless of thrower, the hand a repeated this flight pattern when thrown discus-style. It landed on edge forty-two, out of forty-five throws, shiny one of which were point first. The average throw was about one-third the length of a foot- ball field (almost 102 feet), and usually accurate to within two yards right or left of the line of trajectory.

  The propensity of the hand axe to pivot onto its edge in mid-flight was unexpected and curious. But, as suggested to me by! several track coaches, it may be related to the same factors that can produce the "peel -off" pattern in a thrown discus some function of the manner of release and the thrower's expertise. A full explanation of the physical principles involved must await an interpretation by someone with the relevant expertise What is important is that it does happen By so doing, it makes on- edge impact of a thrown hand axe predictable. The further tendency of the hand axe to land point first does not appear accidental and adds to the implement's potential to inflict damage. If the hand axe can also be thrown so that it behaves exactly like the discus in both ascent and descent (more recent demonstrations support this possibility), then by simply changing the angle and manner of release it should be possible to strike a target with either a horizontally or vertically directed edge. ..."

  Fascinating!!! And as I said, some sort of re-enactment was needed, to figure out the "hand axe's" purpose...