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Mercader J, Belev G, Bushozi P, Clarke S, Favreau J, Itambu M, Jianfeng Z, Koromo S, Larter F, Lee P, Maley J, Fernández-Marchena JL, Mohamed A, Mwambwiga A, Ngisaruni B, Kingi M, Olesilau L, Patalano R, Pedergnana A, Sammynaiken R, Siljedal J, Soto M, Tucker L, Walde D, Ollé A. Microbotanical residues for the study of early hominin tools. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2951. [PMID: 35194092 PMCID: PMC8863820 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06959-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
More than 2 million years ago in East Africa, the earliest hominin stone tools evolved amidst changes in resource base, with pounding technology playing a key role in this adaptive process. Olduvai Gorge (now Oldupai) is a famed locality that remains paramount for the study of human evolution, also yielding some of the oldest battering tools in the world. However, direct evidence of the resources processed with these technologies is lacking entirely. One way to obtain this evidence is through the analysis of surviving residues. Yet, linking residues with past processing activities is not simple. In the case of plant exploitation, this link can only be established by assessing site-based reference collections inclusive of both anthropogenic and natural residues as a necessary first step and comparative starting point. In this paper, we assess microbotanical remains from rock clasts sourced at the same quarry utilized by Oldowan hominins at Oldupai Gorge. We mapped this signal and analysed it quantitatively to classify its spatial distribution objectively, extracting proxies for taxonomic identification and further comparison with freestanding soils. In addition, we used blanks to manufacture pounding tools for blind, controlled replication of plant processing. We discovered that stone blanks are in fact environmental reservoirs in which plant remains are trapped by lithobionts, preserved as hardened accretions. Tool use, on the other hand, creates residue clusters; however, their spatial distribution can be discriminated from purely natural assemblages by the georeferencing of residues and statistical analysis of resulting patterns. To conclude, we provide a protocol for best practice and a workflow that has the advantage of overcoming environmental noise, reducing the risk of false positive, delivering a firm understanding of residues as polygenic mixtures, a reliable use of controls, and most importantly, a stronger link between microbotanical remains and stone tool use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Mercader
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada. .,Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain. .,Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada. .,Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.
| | - George Belev
- Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre, Rm. G81 Thorvaldson Building 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5C9, Canada
| | - Pastory Bushozi
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Dar Es Salaam, PO Box 35091, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Siobhán Clarke
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Julien Favreau
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, 100 Main St W, Hamilton, ON, L8P 1H6, Canada
| | - Makarius Itambu
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.,Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Dar Es Salaam, PO Box 35091, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Zhu Jianfeng
- Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre, Rm. G81 Thorvaldson Building 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5C9, Canada
| | - Samson Koromo
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Iringa, P.O Box 200, Iringa, Tanzania
| | - Fergus Larter
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Patrick Lee
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, 27 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A1, Canada
| | - Jason Maley
- Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre, Rm. G81 Thorvaldson Building 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5C9, Canada
| | - Juan Luis Fernández-Marchena
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain.,Seminari d'Estudis i Recerques Prehistòriques, Secció de Prehistòria i Arqueologia, Departament d'Història i Arqueologia, Facultat de Geografia i Història, Universitat de Barcelona, c/Montalegre 6-8, 08001, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Abdallah Mohamed
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Dar Es Salaam, PO Box 35091, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Aloyce Mwambwiga
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.,Natural History Museum, PO Box 2160, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Benja Ngisaruni
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, Ngorongoro, P.O. Box 1, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Meshack Kingi
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, Ngorongoro, P.O. Box 1, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Lucas Olesilau
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Iringa, P.O Box 200, Iringa, Tanzania
| | - Robert Patalano
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Antonella Pedergnana
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ramaswami Sammynaiken
- Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre, Rm. G81 Thorvaldson Building 110 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5C9, Canada
| | - Joakim Siljedal
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - María Soto
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Study (MIAS), Casa de Velázquez, Calle de Paul Guinard, 3, 28040, Madrid, Spain. .,Departamento de Prehistoria y Arqueología, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Laura Tucker
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Dale Walde
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Andreu Ollé
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain. .,Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain.
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Silva-Gago M, Fedato A, Terradillos-Bernal M, Alonso-Alcalde R, Martín-Guerra E, Bruner E. Not a matter of shape: The influence of tool characteristics on electrodermal activity in response to haptic exploration of Lower Palaeolithic tools. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 34:e23612. [PMID: 34000102 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Haptics involves somatosensory perception through the skin surface and dynamic touch based on the proprioceptive response of the whole body. Handling Palaeolithic stone tools influences the arousal and attentional engagement, which can be detected and measured through electrodermal activity. Although tool shape has generally been studied to consider tool functions or tool making, it is also a major factor in tool sensing and haptic perception. The purpose of this survey is to analyze whether the electrodermal reactions are influenced by stone tool morphology. METHODS We first quantify the morphological variability of 72 stone tools through geometric morphometrics. Then, 12 stone tools from the previous sample were randomly selected to perform the electrodermal analysis in a sample of 46 right-handed adults. RESULTS Elongation is the main factor involved in Lower Palaeolithic shape variation, followed by the position of the maximum thickness. Attention and manipulation time are mainly influenced by tool size, while arousal mostly correlates with tool weight. Electrodermal activity is apparently not influenced by the overall tool shape. Tool size, weight, and base morphology are the variables that mainly trigger an electrodermal reaction. CONCLUSIONS Electrophysiological reaction is more sensitive to specific physical features of the tool than to its general outline. These features are not particularly different in worked pebbles and handaxes in terms of grasping, but underwent remarkable changes in other technological traditions. That changes associated with behavioral performances can be employed in cognitive archaeology to investigate the relationships between tool sensing and tool use.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Silva-Gago
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
| | - Annapaola Fedato
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
| | | | - Rodrigo Alonso-Alcalde
- Museo de la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain.,Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de Burgos, Burgos, Spain
| | - Elena Martín-Guerra
- Sociograph Marketing Science Consulting, Plaza Campus Universitario 1, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Emiliano Bruner
- Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana, Burgos, Spain
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de la Torre I, Albert RM, Arroyo A, Macphail R, McHenry LJ, Mora R, Njau JK, Pante MC, Rivera-Rondón CA, Rodríguez-Cintas Á, Stanistreet IG, Stollhofen H, Wehr K. New excavations at the HWK EE site: Archaeology, paleoenvironment and site formation processes during late Oldowan times at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. J Hum Evol 2017; 120:140-202. [PMID: 29153333 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This paper reports the results of renewed fieldwork at the HWK EE site (Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania). HWK EE is positioned across the boundary between Lower and Middle Bed II, a crucial interval for studying the emergence of the Acheulean at Olduvai Gorge. Our excavations at HWK EE have produced one of the largest collections of fossils and artefacts from any Oldowan site, distributed across several archaeological units and a large excavation surface in four separate trenches that can be stratigraphically correlated. Here we present the main stratigraphic and archaeological units and discuss site formation processes. Results show a great density of fossils and stone tools vertically through two stratigraphic intervals (Lemuta and Lower Augitic Sandstone) and laterally across an area of around 300 m2, and highlight the confluence of biotic and abiotic agents in the formation of the assemblage. The large size and diversity of the assemblage, as well as its good preservation, qualify HWK EE as a reference site for the study of the late Oldowan at Olduvai Gorge and elsewhere in Africa. In addition, the description of the stratigraphic and archaeological sequence of HWK EE presented in this paper constitutes the foundation for further studies on hominin behavior and paleoecology in Lower and Middle Bed II.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio de la Torre
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, WC1H 0PY London, United Kingdom.
| | - Rosa M Albert
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain; ERAAUB/Departament de Historia i Arqueologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Montalegre 6-8, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Adrián Arroyo
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, WC1H 0PY London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Macphail
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, WC1H 0PY London, United Kingdom
| | - Lindsay J McHenry
- Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, 3209 N. Maryland Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
| | - Rafael Mora
- Centre D'Estudis Del Patrimoni Arqueologic de La Prehistoria, Facultat de Lletres, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Jackson K Njau
- Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, 1001 East 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-1405, USA; Stone Age Institute, 1392 W Dittemore Road, Gosport, Indiana 47433, USA
| | - Michael C Pante
- Department of Anthropology, Colorado State University, 1787 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Carlos A Rivera-Rondón
- Unidad de Ecología y Sistemática, Departamento de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Cra. 7 # 40-82, 110231 Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Ágata Rodríguez-Cintas
- ERAAUB/Departament de Historia i Arqueologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Montalegre 6-8, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ian G Stanistreet
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool L69 3GP, United Kingdom; Stone Age Institute, 1392 W Dittemore Road, Gosport, Indiana 47433, USA
| | - Harald Stollhofen
- GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schloßgarten 5, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Karol Wehr
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, WC1H 0PY London, United Kingdom
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