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

The pick-adze’s importance is confirmed by a votive replication made of lead, found at
Psychro. 421
The pick-adze enhances the range of shafted double-ended implements,
which collectively were more popular on Crete than elsewhere.
Regional total MBA LBA General 2 nd millennium
Crete 7 - 5 2
Total 7 0 5 2
Table 4.17: Pick-adze distribution
G1: Drills (solid) (Plate 4.42a, b)
The basic distinction in drills is whether they were solid or hollow. 422
Significantly larger than solid versions, tubular drills have not survived as frequently in
the archaeological record. Many scholars do not believe that metal hollow drills were
employed and argue that the actual bit was composed of an organic material, and this
topic is addressed in more detail in the following section. Solid drills are well attested
throughout the study region, though the implements are not as omnipresent as chisels or
axes. The designation of a solid drill is principally based on the shape of the tip: a pointed
diamond-like or slightly convex form (Plate 4.42a, b). 423 Small drills may closely
resemble chisels and awls, making their identification difficult. A drill’s widest point
(typically 0.7 cm and below) varies minimally. Consequently, a rotary motion could be
created simply by moving one’s fingers back and forth over the narrow shaft. The basic
drilling operation requires that both pressure and rotation be applied to the bit from the
butt end. If the drill was unhafted, a stone could be pressed down upon the butt end of the
drill. 424
Small pebbles with hollow-like depressions have been found on Crete and the
421 Evely 1993, 71.
422 Evely 1993, 77-78.
423 For a drawing of these types, see Evely 1993, figure 33.
424 This type of setup was necessary for using the drill end of double-ended implements with a drill bit on
one side and a chisel edge on the other. There are six example of this drill-chisel combination in the dataset.
177