Middle Palaeolithic Bout Coupé Handaxes
- by Barry Bishop
“Previously claimed Bout Coupé handaxes have long been regarded as typological indicators of the British Middle Palaeolithic Mousterian (e.g., Shackley 1977; Roe 1981). However, the lack of a definitive classification was criticised by Coulson (1986), who suggested that these implements could easily be subsumed into a variety of other biface classes of mixed chronological and cultural affinities. Classificatory uncertainty, compounded by a general paucity of reliable contextual associations, led to her questioning their value as typological or cultural markers (ibid, 54). Tyldesley’s comprehensive study of Bout Coupés (1987) also found major problems with stratigraphic provenance and cultural association, but concluded that if tighter definitions were employed, they could be used as typological markers for the Last Interglacial/Early Devensian. However, a recent survey (White and Jacobi 2002), which also emphasised the need for employing tight typological parameters, concluded that most of the rigorously defined Bout Coupé bifaces with reasonably secure provenances came from Devensian deposits, mainly from Middle Devensian OIS 3 contexts, and that many of the others either possibly or probably came from similarly dated contexts. This would be in accordance with a suggested hiatus in the occupation of Britain from the penultimate glaciation (OIS 6) to the Middle Devensian (OIS 3) (Currant and Jacobi 1997)” (read more/open access).
Read more open access sources about British Middle Palaeolithic and bout coupé handaxes:
- Berridge, P. and Roberts, L. 1990. “Windmill Hill Cave, Brixham: Setting the Record Straight,” Lithics 11: 24-31.
- Cookson, A.P. and Tylsdley, J.A. 1984-85. “A Middle Palaeolithic Flint Handaxe from Ayestone, Leicester,” Transaction LIX: 13-16
- MacRae, R.J. 1991. “New Lower Palaeolithic Finds from Pits in Central Southern England,” Lithics 12:12-19
- Scott, R. 2006. “The early Middle Palaeolithic of Britain; origins, technology and landscape,” Durham University E-Theses
- Wenban-Smith, F. 2001. “As Represented by the Solent River: Handaxes from Highfield, Southampton,” Wenban-SMith, F and Hosfield, R. (eds.), Palaeolithic Archaeology of the Solent River, London. Lithics Study Society Papers: 57-69.
- Wenban-Smith, F. 2004. “Handaxe Typology and the Lower Palaeolithic Cultural Development: Ficrons, Cleavers and Two Giant Handaxes from Cuxton,” Lithics 25: 11-21.
- Wragg Sykes, R.M. 2010. “Beyond Bout Coupés: The Dynamic Role of Bifaces in the British Mousterian,” Lithics 31:20-32.
(Gif source: Bout coupé from Shirley, Southampton, England: Heritage 100, Arts Council England; Text source: Bishop, B. 2002. “A Bout Coupé Handaxe from Enfield in the Lower Lea Valley,” Lithics 23:43-37.Bottom image: James Dilley @ancientcraftUK on Twitter)