'Trust' provides answer to handaxe enigma

Trust rather than lust is at the heart of the attention to detail and finely made form of handaxes from around 1.7 million years ago, according to a University of York researcher. Dr Penny Spikins suggests a desire to prove their trustworthiness, rather than a need to demonstrate their physical fitness as a mate, was the driving force behind the fine crafting of handaxes by Homo erectus/ergaster in the Lower Palaeolithic period. [...] EurekAlert!

Journal Reference:
Penny Spikins. Goodwill hunting? Debates over the ‘meaning’ of Lower Palaeolithic handaxe form revisited. World Archaeology, 2012; 44 (3): 378 DOI: 10.1080/00438243.2012.725889

Actualización 29-11-12. La 'confianza' proporciona la respuesta al enigma de las hachas de mano, según una nueva interpretación
(Traducción del artículo en inglés).