[camle]

so the mere presence of axes indicates boat building? isn't it possible, in fact more likely, that the axes facilitated chopping wood for fires, or even house construction?

[Alas Babylon!]

No, but hand axes on the island of Crete would imply someone made them. Since man did not evolve on Crete the question then becomes how did the makers of the hand axes get to Crete? I have been to Crete several times. It is way out there. You cannot see it from any mainland.

Some here are pointing out that at one time the Mediterranean sea dried out completely, but that was millions of years before the making of these axes. Also, sea levels were much lower during the various cice age glaciations. How much lower? Unknown. Enough to form a land bridge from Turkey, Greece or Egypt to Crete? No, the seas around Crete are too deep.

Therefore, they have to assume the makers of the hand axes had some form of water transportation. Boats? Rafts?