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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2015

The hammer-, “T”-axes and other heavy-duty tools made of antler revisited

Éva David

Résumé

Recent discoveries in Lolland (Denmark) of perforated bevelled-end tools made of red deer antler, so called "axes" (Pratsch 1999) or "mattock-heads" (Smith 1990) suggest cultural exchanges between Northern Europe and Southern Scandinavia at the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition (c. 4000 BC). Based on their morphology only, "T" axes are thus considered as cultural markers per se. In order to promote a better understanding of these types, we present here a first synthesis of the recorded data and highlight their characteristics in terms of shape, their geographical and chronological distributions in Europe, as well as their manufacturing techniques. The analysis suggests that, although they are all made on the antler beam, these heavy-duty tools showing a transverse hafting system are very distinct one type from another. The eventual recognition of different types of "T"-axes could diminish their cultural value for characterizing Mesolithic groups; the Neolithic shapes indeed appear distinctive, most notably in terms of the dimensions of the antler. At a larger scale, the technology of making these tools highlights their value as chronological markers for differentiating specific periods of prehistory. PRATSCH S. (1999) Beilklingen aus Geweih: eine mesolithische Geräteform. In Den Bogen Spannen… Festschrift für Bernhard Gramsch zum 65. Geburtstag. Hrsg. E. Cziesla, T. Kersting & S. Pratsch. Weissbach, Beier und Beran, Archäologische Fachliteratur (Beiträge zur Ur- und Frühgeschichte Mitteleuropas 20) : 177-183. SMITH C. (1989) British antlers mattocks. In The Mesolithic in Europe. Third International Symposium, Edinburgh, 1985. éd. C. Bonsall, John Donald Publishers Ltd: 272-283.
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Dates et versions

halshs-03922735 , version 1 (04-01-2023)

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  • HAL Id : halshs-03922735 , version 1

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Éva David, Clive Bonsall. The hammer-, “T”-axes and other heavy-duty tools made of antler revisited. 9th International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe, D. Boriċ, Sep 2015, Belgrade, Serbia. ⟨halshs-03922735⟩
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