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That_Ganderman t1_j64i1vw wrote

Reply to comment by nikstick22 in More than 1.2 million years ago in Ethiopia, an early hominin species made handaxes using only obsidian (a type of volcanic glass that can produce blades sharper than surgical steel) by marketrent

I’m reasonably confident whoever made them died

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nikstick22 t1_j64p1i4 wrote

It's a question about the scholarly interpretation. Except in the case of a catastrophic end, we'd expect any sites we find to be either refuse or discarded material. Ostensibly, a well-made handaxe would be taken from the manufacturing site and used until the blade was too chipped, worn or broken to be useful and discarded elsewhere.

The paper says that the handaxes found all show very similar construction. Is there any evidence as to why these similarly constructed tools were discarded or left at this site?

I don't think your joke is helpful.

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That_Ganderman t1_j65af0u wrote

I gave a no-bake answer to a half-baked question.

I've broken it down for you grug-style.

I broke axe. Must make axe. Had make axe two suns ago. Back hurt after making axe long time. I put fur on butt-spot. Back still hurt. Make hand spot that taller than butt spot. Back not hurt so much.

Congratulations. You now have a "workshop."

Axe break often. Need axe. Hand spot make build axe fast. Still take time. Can't hunt when making axe. Ask friend make axe instead. She say no. I say her "I give some meat I hunt so you use hand spot make axe." She say yes. Able hunt more. Get more meat. When back from hunt bring axe rocks. She take some meat from hunt and take axe rocks. She make all axe rocks many axes. Too many axes. Small ones might hurt on axe on ground. Put all axe not using in pit. Tell small ones not go in pit.

You now have a storage location.

Many suns happen. Break axe. Go to axe pit. No axe? Talk friend. She say no more axe rocks. Take whole sun get axe rocks. Give friend axe rocks. She make many axes. Very tired since rocks heavy. Carry some rocks after all hunt now. She always make axe with rocks. I always have axe. Me and friend have meat. Life good.

And now you have a stockpile.

This is obviously a dramatization and shouldn't be taken literally, in case you think I have any delusion of the factuality of the story.

In short: It's safer, cleaner, more convenient and more efficient to have a condensed stockpile of usable axes in a certain location rather than make them as-needed.

If everybody died suddenly, the axes would remain. If they died slowly the large stockpile may have outlasted them. If they moved away there is no point in carrying hundreds of something so easily replaceable.

I don't think your question contributed anything meaningful.

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