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I keep seeing people call any old stone tool a 'hand axe' and it drives me nuts
Specifically, I was at a museum in Albuquerque last weekend and the tour guide pointed to a simple flake scraper and called it a hand axe. It matters because a hand axe is a specific, bifacial Acheulean tool type, usually teardrop shaped. Calling everything that just means people learn the wrong thing. I learned the difference from a field school professor who made us sort lithics for three days straight. Anyone else run into this kind of mix-up at local museums or sites?
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lily_black447mo ago
Ugh, that's so frustrating. It makes me wonder if some guides just use "hand axe" as a catch-all because they think it sounds better than "stone tool." That lazy word choice totally ruins the real story.
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jordan6477mo ago
Just ask them to point to the actual artifact next time.
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alex_king6mo ago
Totally agree, that's the move. I've straight up asked "can you show me the specific wear marks that prove it was a hand axe?" Half the time they just point at a general shape. If they call it a hand axe, they should be ready to explain the grip wear or the specific edge damage. Otherwise they're just guessing and it wastes everyone's time.
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