South African handaxes reloaded

Late Acheulian handaxes in South Africa seem to increase in morphological variability when compared to earlier forms, which contradicts longstanding notions that these tools become more refined in symmetry and thinness through time. Recent investigations into the symmetry of Early and Late Acheulian handaxes in this region have found no significant differences in planview or profile perspectives. However, shifting analytical focus onto cross-sectional shapes provides valuable insight into morphological features that distinguish handaxes from Early from Late Acheulian periods. This is related to an increase in the intensity of thinning processes in the Late Acheulian, which potentially represents a global trend. The results of this study suggest that cross-sectional shape variation is a powerful discriminating factor when comparing handaxes from different periods of the Acheulian in South Africa, although testing larger datasets is required to confirm these findings.