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?

3 comments

3 Comments

lily_black441mo 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.

jordan6471mo ago

Just ask them to point to the actual artifact next time.

alex_king18d 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.