Middle and Late Bronze Age Metal Tools from the Aegean, Eastern ...

are longer than mainland and island versions, different L:W ratios exist for each region.
A box-and-dot plot of these wide chisel ratios from the Aegean clearly shows
regionalism, made all the more apparent in that the percentage of the Cretan and
Mainland tools is about the same (Fig. 4.12a, b). 385
Broad chisels from Crete have the
highest ratio with the most extensive range. The wide chisel ratios (L:W) from the
mainland and islands are comparable to each other, and though both overlap with the
lower range of Cretan data, this area of correspondence is below the Cretan mid-spread.
Despite the preference for wide chisels throughout the Aegean, there are different
regional tendencies in the tool’s production.
When examining the data from Table 4.8, it is necessary to incorporate the
chisel’s length into analysis. Therefore, the L:W ratio for each size category was
calculated, and the ratio range for each grouping was placed in a box-and-dot plot (Fig.
4.13a, b). This graph illustrates an extensive range for each size of chisel, even those that
have similar cutting edges. Although the adjacent values to each mid-spread overlap to
some degree, notable differences in the L:W ratio are evident from type to type. Such
data are useful in emphasizing the morphological differentiation of narrow and wide
chisels, but it also serves as a guide for considering chisel function. Three kinds of chisels
(cold, mortise and socketed) may be compared to the chisel data that was already
organized by the cutting edge size. Cold chisels are short, wedge-like implements with
comparatively thick cutting edges (often 1.8‒2.0 cm or Size 3), ideal for breaking apart
metal (Plate 4.27).
386
Mortise chisels, on the other hand, have narrow—but thick and
sturdy—cutting edges (usually Size 2) with elongated shafts, a shape that lends itself to
385 For box-and-dot plots, see Drennan 2009, 37-41 or the discussion at the beginning of Section D.
386 Catling 1964, 96. For a cold chisel from Uluburun, see Yalçin, Pulak and Slotta 2005, 631 entry 194.
161