please help with tool vs weapon edge pics and men's womens knives

josh stout · 12th April 2012, 08:51 PM

I apologize that I have not been very active as late because my job (biologist) keeps getting in the way of looking at sharp pointy things. However, I have been striving to unify my two interests with a study of Paleolithic hand axes, prompted by a purchase from another forum member.

I am trying to discuss these artifacts the way we do on this forum with an eye to form, function, and the role in the society. This must be speculative regarding things made a million years ago, but I think the rules are the same. I would like to argue that a single beveled edge with an acute angle is likely to be evidence that the object was primarily a tool for cutting and slicing, while a double bevel and a more obtuse angle is evidence of an object that was used for heavy impacts, and may well have been a weapon.
I would also like to argue that some objects, with a weapon like geometry that are smaller than the usual form, may have been used by smaller individuals such as juveniles or females.

Neither of these arguments has been presented in the literature with evidence based on existing ethnographic example of tools and weapons. So what I am hoping is that people could kindly help me with this project by providing some detailed pictures showing edge geometry, say of a barong and a bolo, or other similar set of weapons and tools with differing edges from a single culture. I would also like some examples of large and small versions of a kris or similar knife where the regular sized version might be considered status item, while the smaller version might be a woman or boys knife.

If there are any useful papers to cite on the topic please let me know.

I will thank this forum and any members who can provide me with appropriate photos when I publish a paper. Please make sure you expressly give me permission to use the photos when you post them. If you do not want to post photos publically, feel free to email me at stoutjs@fdu.edu.

Thank you so much for all the help so far. I would have neither these ideas on classification nor objects to classify if it were not for this forum.
Josh

12th April 2012, 08:51 PM	#1
josh stout Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 407	please help with tool vs weapon edge pics and men's womens knives I apologize that I have not been very active as late because my job (biologist) keeps getting in the way of looking at sharp pointy things. However, I have been striving to unify my two interests with a study of Paleolithic hand axes, prompted by a purchase from another forum member. I am trying to discuss these artifacts the way we do on this forum with an eye to form, function, and the role in the society. This must be speculative regarding things made a million years ago, but I think the rules are the same. I would like to argue that a single beveled edge with an acute angle is likely to be evidence that the object was primarily a tool for cutting and slicing, while a double bevel and a more obtuse angle is evidence of an object that was used for heavy impacts, and may well have been a weapon. I would also like to argue that some objects, with a weapon like geometry that are smaller than the usual form, may have been used by smaller individuals such as juveniles or females. Neither of these arguments has been presented in the literature with evidence based on existing ethnographic example of tools and weapons. So what I am hoping is that people could kindly help me with this project by providing some detailed pictures showing edge geometry, say of a barong and a bolo, or other similar set of weapons and tools with differing edges from a single culture. I would also like some examples of large and small versions of a kris or similar knife where the regular sized version might be considered status item, while the smaller version might be a woman or boys knife. If there are any useful papers to cite on the topic please let me know. I will thank this forum and any members who can provide me with appropriate photos when I publish a paper. Please make sure you expressly give me permission to use the photos when you post them. If you do not want to post photos publically, feel free to email me at stoutjs@fdu.edu. Thank you so much for all the help so far. I would have neither these ideas on classification nor objects to classify if it were not for this forum. Josh