This paper provides a description and analysis of a distinctive type of pre-Columbian stone tool, usually termed a T-shaped axe, found almost exclusively in Northeast Honduras, Central America. There have been very few detailed or technical studies of lithics from Honduras. Early archaeological research and the current understanding of the regional prehistory are included, with Northeast Honduras viewed as a frontier zone located between the Mesoamerican and Isthmo-Columbian culture areas. Our study examines, in particular, a collection of these tools curated today at the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (CUMAA). The 39 (whole and fragmentary) specimens were collected between 1937 and 1939, from the Bay Islands, Northeast Honduras, but have never been published. This paper classifies the collection specimens into five varieties, based on morphology, with sample statistics, form dimensions, and illustrations provided for each. Manufacturing technology is primarily percussion flaking. The tool type is compared with similar specimens excavated and described from the Bay Islands and adjacent Honduran mainland, and with similar appearing implements from elsewhere in Central America. Insights about the possible age and function of these unusual, and distinctive, lithics are included. Based on preliminary macroscopic and microscopic analyses, it is concluded that the tools may have been employed as agricultural implements (hoes or spades), primarily for digging activities, rather than as axes or weapons used for cutting and slicing. It is most likely that these implements first appeared about 800 CE, and continued in use until at least 1400 CE. The tool type is most probably a local (not imported) product. More functional analysis is encouraged.

中文翻译：

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来自洪都拉斯东北部的 T 形“斧头”：对前哥伦比亚石器的年代学和功能的观察

本文描述和分析了一种独特类型的前哥伦布时期石制工具，通常称为 T 形斧头，几乎只在中美洲洪都拉斯东北部发现。对洪都拉斯岩屑的详细或技术研究很少。包括早期考古研究和当前对区域史前史的理解，洪都拉斯东北部被视为位于中美洲和哥伦布地峡文化区之间的边境地带。我们的研究特别检查了今天在剑桥大学考古与人类学博物馆 (CUMAA) 策划的这些工具的集合。1937 年至 1939 年间，从洪都拉斯东北部的海湾群岛收集了 39 个（整体和碎片）标本，但从未发表过。本文根据形态学将采集标本分为五个品种，并为每个品种提供样本统计、形态尺寸和插图。制造技术主要是冲击剥落。该工具类型与从海湾群岛和邻近的洪都拉斯大陆挖掘和描述的类似标本，以及来自中美洲其他地方的类似工具进行了比较。包括有关这些不寻常且独特的石块的可能年龄和功能的见解。根据初步的宏观和微观分析，得出的结论是，这些工具可能被用作农具（锄头或铁锹），主要用于挖掘活动，而不是用作切割和切片的斧头或武器。这些工具很可能最早出现在公元 800 年左右，并一直使用到至少公元 1400 年。工具类型很可能是本地（非进口）产品。鼓励进行更多功能分析。