Journal of Archaeological Science Reports· 2026Q1
Signs of power: giant ficron handaxes may have played a non-utilitarian role in structuring social groups in MIS 9 Britain
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Giant ficron handaxes from MIS 9 Britain, characterized by extreme symmetry and morphology, likely served a non-utilitarian social role rather than for subsistence tasks.
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Key points
- Giant ficron handaxes are rare Acheulean tools predominantly found in Britain during MIS 9.
- Experimental cutting tasks revealed giant ficrons were less effective than standard-sized ones.
- Archaeological giant ficrons display superior symmetry, edge straightness, and extreme forms compared to typical assemblages.
- These challenging-to-produce features without clear functional benefits suggest a social, rather than subsistence, role.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Giant ficrons are a rare but recurrent sub-type of Acheulean handaxe, that in Britain are predominantly found in assemblages dating to the MIS 9 interglacial. A variety of theories have aimed to explain the striking size and appearance of giant ficrons as reflecting their use in specialised subsistence tasks or non-utilitarian display functions. Despite this, they are typically underrepresented or absent from many studies concerning giant handaxes or Acheulean morphological diversity more broadly. Here we combine a functional experiment and morphometric analysis to test some of the previous claims made about giant ficrons. Replica giant ficrons did not perform as well as normal sized ficrons in a controlled cutting task. Archaeological giant ficrons were found to possess heightened symmetry, edge straightness, and extreme morphologies when compared with their wider assemblages. This combination of challenging to produce features without clear functional advantages suggests that giant ficrons may have played a role in the social lives of Late Acheulean hominins.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Archaeological Science Reports, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Anthropology
AnthropologySocial Sciences