How good are giant handaxes in utilitarian functions? An experimental assessment

Abstract

Giant handaxes are one of the enigmatic components of the Pleistocene tool kit. Their enormous size has led some researchers to believe that they were too cumbersome to be practical for daily tasks, but there are still scholars who argue that they may have served specific functional purposes due to their large size. The objective of this project is to examine the utilitarian aspects of giant handaxes by comparing them to regular-sized handaxes. The findings reveal that, in at least one activity, giant handaxes surpass their regular-sized counterparts in terms of effectiveness.