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Leder D, Lehmann J, Milks A, Koddenberg T, Sietz M, Vogel M, Böhner U, Terberger T. The wooden artifacts from Schöningen's Spear Horizon and their place in human evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2320484121. [PMID: 38557183 PMCID: PMC11009636 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320484121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Ethnographic records show that wooden tools played a pivotal role in the daily lives of hunter-gatherers including food procurement tools used in hunting (e.g., spears, throwing sticks) and gathering (e.g. digging sticks, bark peelers), as well as, domestic tools (e.g., handles, vessels). However, wood rarely survives in the archeological record, especially in Pleistocene contexts and knowledge of prehistoric hunter-gatherer lifeways is strongly biased by the survivorship of more resilient materials such as lithics and bones. Consequently, very few Paleolithic sites have produced wooden artifacts and among them, the site of Schöningen stands out due to its number and variety of wooden tools. The recovery of complete wooden spears and throwing sticks at this 300,000-y-old site (MIS 9) led to a paradigm shift in the hunter vs. scavenger debate. For the first time and almost 30 y after their discovery, this study introduces the complete wooden assemblage from Schöningen 13 II-4 known as the Spear Horizon. In total, 187 wooden artifacts could be identified from the Spear Horizon demonstrating a broad spectrum of wood-working techniques, including the splitting technique. A minimum of 20 hunting weapons is now recognized and two newly identified artifact types comprise 35 tools made on split woods, which were likely used in domestic activities. Schöningen 13 II-4 represents the largest Pleistocene wooden artifact assemblage worldwide and demonstrates the key role woodworking had in human evolution. Finally, our results considerably change the interpretation of the Pleistocene lakeshore site of Schöningen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Leder
- Department of Archaeology, Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage, Hannover30175, Germany
| | - Jens Lehmann
- Department of Archaeology, Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage, Hannover30175, Germany
| | - Annemieke Milks
- Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, Earley, ReadingRG6 6AX, United Kingdom
| | - Tim Koddenberg
- Department of Wood Biology and Wood Products, Georg-August University Göttingen, Gottingen37077, Germany
| | - Michael Sietz
- Archaeological Conservation Unit, Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage, Hannover30175, Germany
| | - Matthias Vogel
- Archaeological Conservation Unit, Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage, Hannover30175, Germany
| | - Utz Böhner
- Department of Archaeology, Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage, Hannover30175, Germany
| | - Thomas Terberger
- Department of Archaeology, Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage, Hannover30175, Germany
- Department of Prehistoric Archaeology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Gottingen37073, Germany
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2
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Yeshurun R, Doyon L, Tejero JM, Walter R, Huber H, Andrews R, Kitagawa K. Identification and quantification of projectile impact marks on bone: new experimental insights using osseous points. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2024; 16:43. [PMID: 38404950 PMCID: PMC10884158 DOI: 10.1007/s12520-024-01944-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Shifts in projectile technology potentially document human evolutionary milestones, such as adaptations for different environments and settlement dynamics. A relatively direct proxy for projectile technology is projectile impact marks (PIM) on archaeological bones. Increasing awareness and publication of experimental data sets have recently led to more identifications of PIM in various contexts, but diagnosing PIM from other types of bone-surface modifications, quantifying them, and inferring point size and material from the bone lesions need more substantiation. Here, we focus on PIM created by osseous projectiles, asking whether these could be effectively identified and separated from lithic-tipped weapons. We further discuss the basic question raised by recent PIM research in zooarchaeology: why PIM evidence is so rare in archaeofaunal assemblages (compared to other human-induced marks), even when they are explicitly sought. We present the experimental results of shooting two ungulate carcasses with bone and antler points, replicating those used in the early Upper Paleolithic of western Eurasia. Half of our hits resulted in PIM, confirming that this modification may have been originally abundant. However, we found that the probability of a skeletal element to be modified with PIM negatively correlates with its preservation potential, and that much of the produced bone damage would not be identifiable in a typical Paleolithic faunal assemblage. This quantification problem still leaves room for an insightful qualitative study of PIM. We complement previous research in presenting several diagnostic marks that retain preservation potential and may be used to suggest osseous, rather than lithic, projectile technology. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-024-01944-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reuven Yeshurun
- Zinman Institute of Archaeology and School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, 3103301 Haifa, Israel
| | - Luc Doyon
- UMR5199 PACEA, Université de Bordeaux, MCC, CNRS, 33615 Pessac CEDEX, France
| | - José-Miguel Tejero
- Seminari d’Estudis I Recerques Prehistòriques (SERP), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Human Evolution and Archeological Sciences (HEAS), University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Walter
- Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Ice Age Studio Hohle Fels, Schelklingen, Germany
| | - Hannah Huber
- Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Robin Andrews
- Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Keiko Kitagawa
- Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP), Tübingen, Germany
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3
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Coppe J, Taipale N, Rots V. Terminal ballistic analysis of impact fractures reveals the use of spearthrower 31 ky ago at Maisières-Canal, Belgium. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18305. [PMID: 37880379 PMCID: PMC10600151 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45554-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of hunting technology in the deep past fundamentally shaped the subsistence strategies of early human populations. Hence knowing when different weapons were first introduced is important for understanding our evolutionary trajectory. The timing of the adoption of long-range weaponry remains heavily debated because preserved organic weapon components are extremely rare in the Paleolithic record and stone points are difficult to attribute reliably to weapon delivery methods without supporting organic evidence. Here, we use a refined use-wear approach to demonstrate that spearthrower was used for launching projectiles armed with tanged flint points at Maisières-Canal (Belgium) 31,000 years ago. The novelty of our approach lies in the combination of impact fracture data with terminal ballistic analysis of the mechanical stress suffered by a stone armature on impact. This stress is distinct for each weapon and visible archaeologically as fracture proportions on assemblage scale. Our reference dataset derives from a sequential experimental program that addressed individually each key parameter affecting fracture formation and successfully reproduced the archaeological fracture signal. The close match between the archaeological sample and the experimental spearthrower set extends the timeline of spearthrower use by over 10,000 years and represents the earliest reliable trace-based evidence for the utilization of long-distance weaponry in prehistoric hunting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Coppe
- TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Place du 20-Août 7 (Bât. A4), 4000, Liège, Belgium.
| | - Noora Taipale
- TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Place du 20-Août 7 (Bât. A4), 4000, Liège, Belgium
- F.R.S.-FNRS, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Veerle Rots
- TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Place du 20-Août 7 (Bât. A4), 4000, Liège, Belgium
- F.R.S.-FNRS, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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4
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Barham L, Duller GAT, Candy I, Scott C, Cartwright CR, Peterson JR, Kabukcu C, Chapot MS, Melia F, Rots V, George N, Taipale N, Gethin P, Nkombwe P. Evidence for the earliest structural use of wood at least 476,000 years ago. Nature 2023; 622:107-111. [PMID: 37730994 PMCID: PMC10550827 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06557-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Wood artefacts rarely survive from the Early Stone Age since they require exceptional conditions for preservation; consequently, we have limited information about when and how hominins used this basic raw material1. We report here on the earliest evidence for structural use of wood in the archaeological record. Waterlogged deposits at the archaeological site of Kalambo Falls, Zambia, dated by luminescence to at least 476 ± 23 kyr ago (ka), preserved two interlocking logs joined transversely by an intentionally cut notch. This construction has no known parallels in the African or Eurasian Palaeolithic. The earliest known wood artefact is a fragment of polished plank from the Acheulean site of Gesher Benot Ya'aqov, Israel, more than 780 ka (refs. 2,3). Wooden tools for foraging and hunting appear 400 ka in Europe4-8, China9 and possibly Africa10. At Kalambo we also recovered four wood tools from 390 ka to 324 ka, including a wedge, digging stick, cut log and notched branch. The finds show an unexpected early diversity of forms and the capacity to shape tree trunks into large combined structures. These new data not only extend the age range of woodworking in Africa but expand our understanding of the technical cognition of early hominins11, forcing re-examination of the use of trees in the history of technology12,13.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Barham
- Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
| | - G A T Duller
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
| | - I Candy
- Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - C Scott
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - C R Cartwright
- Department of Scientific Research, The British Museum, London, UK
| | - J R Peterson
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - C Kabukcu
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- University of Algarve, Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB), Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
| | - M S Chapot
- Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK
| | - F Melia
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - V Rots
- TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - N George
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - N Taipale
- TraceoLab/Prehistory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - P Gethin
- Professor Elizabeth Slater Archaeological Research Laboratories, Department of Archaeology, Classics & Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - P Nkombwe
- National Museums Board, Moto Moto Museum, Mbala, Zambia
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Martínez-Sevilla F, Herrero-Otal M, Martín-Seijo M, Santana J, Lozano Rodríguez JA, Maicas Ramos R, Cubas M, Homs A, Martínez Sánchez RM, Bertin I, Barroso Bermejo R, Bueno Ramírez P, de Balbín Behrmann R, Palomo Pérez A, Álvarez-Valero AM, Peña-Chocarro L, Murillo-Barroso M, Fernández-Domínguez E, Altamirano García M, Pardo Martínez R, Iriarte Cela M, Carrasco Rus JL, Alfaro Giner C, Piqué Huerta R. The earliest basketry in southern Europe: Hunter-gatherer and farmer plant-based technology in Cueva de los Murciélagos (Albuñol). SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi3055. [PMID: 37756397 PMCID: PMC10530072 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi3055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Plant material culture can offer unique insights into the ways of life of prehistoric societies; however, its perishable nature has prevented a thorough understanding of its diverse and complex uses. Sites with exceptional preservation of organic materials provide a unique opportunity for further research. The burial site of Cueva de los Murciélagos in southern Iberia, uncovered during 19th-century mining activities, contained the best-preserved hunter-gatherer basketry in southern Europe, together with other unique organic artifacts associated with the first farming communities, such as sandals and a wooden hammer. We present 14 14C dates for the perishable artifacts (N = 76), situating the assemblage between the Early and Middle Holocene (c. 7500 to 4200 cal BCE). Our integrated analysis includes raw material determination and technological and chrono-cultural contextualization of this unique and important set of materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Martínez-Sevilla
- Departamento de Historia y Filosofía, Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Maria Herrero-Otal
- Departament de Prehistòria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - María Martín-Seijo
- Departamento de Ciencias Históricas, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - Jonathan Santana
- Departamento de Ciencias Históricas, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - José A. Lozano Rodríguez
- Departamento de Historia y Filosofía, Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
- Centro Oceanográfico de Canarias (COC), Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC), Tenerife, Spain
| | - Ruth Maicas Ramos
- Departamento de Prehistoria, Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miriam Cubas
- Departamento de Historia y Filosofía, Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | | | | | - Ingrid Bertin
- Departament de Prehistòria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
- Cultures et Environnements Préhistoire, Antiquité, Moyen Âge, Université Côte d’Azur, Nice, France
| | - Rosa Barroso Bermejo
- Departamento de Historia y Filosofía, Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Primitiva Bueno Ramírez
- Departamento de Historia y Filosofía, Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Rodrigo de Balbín Behrmann
- Departamento de Historia y Filosofía, Área de Prehistoria, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Antoni Palomo Pérez
- Departament de Prehistòria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | - Leonor Peña-Chocarro
- Departamento de Arqueología y Procesos sociales, CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Rubén Pardo Martínez
- Departamento de Análisis Geográfico Regional y Geografía Física, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Mercedes Iriarte Cela
- Departamento de Nanotecnología, Centro Tecnologico y de Investigación SDLE, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Carmen Alfaro Giner
- Departament de Prehistòria, Arqueologia i Història Antiga, Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Raquel Piqué Huerta
- Departament de Prehistòria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
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6
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Verheijen I, Starkovich BM, Serangeli J, van Kolfschoten T, Conard NJ. Early evidence for bear exploitation during MIS 9 from the site of Schöningen 12 (Germany). J Hum Evol 2023; 177:103294. [PMID: 36566141 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
A cutmarked bear metatarsal and phalanx from the German open-air sites of Schöningen 12 II-1 and 12 B, respectively, correlated with the interglacial optimum of MIS 9 (ca. 320 ka), provide early evidence for the exploitation of bear skins. Archaeological sites with evidence of bear exploitation from the Lower Paleolithic are rare, with only Boxgrove (United Kingdom) and Bilzingsleben (Germany) yielding cutmarked bear bones indicating skinning. We interpret these finds as evidence for bear hunting and primary access since bear skins are best extracted shortly after the animal's death. The very thin cutmarks found on the Schöningen specimens indicate delicate butchering and show similarities in butchery patterns to bears from other Paleolithic sites. The Eurasian Lower Paleolithic record does not show any evidence for the exploitation of bear meat; only Middle Paleolithic sites, such as Biache-Saint-Vaast (France; ca. 175 ka) and Taubach (Germany; ca. 120 ka), yield evidence for the exploitation of both skin and meat from bear carcasses. Bear skins have high insulating properties and might have played a role in the adaptations of Middle Pleistocene hominins to the cold and harsh winter conditions of Northwestern Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo Verheijen
- University of Tübingen, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, Paläon 1, 38364 Schöningen, Germany; Forschungsmuseum Schöningen, Paläon 1, 38364 Schöningen, Germany.
| | - Britt M Starkovich
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jordi Serangeli
- University of Tübingen, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, Paläon 1, 38364 Schöningen, Germany
| | - Thijs van Kolfschoten
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 2, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands; Institute of Cultural Heritage, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Highway, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Nicholas J Conard
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany; Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
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7
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Hrnčíř V. The Use of Wooden Clubs and Throwing Sticks among Recent Foragers : Cross-Cultural Survey and Implications for Research on Prehistoric Weaponry. HUMAN NATURE (HAWTHORNE, N.Y.) 2023; 34:122-152. [PMID: 36977916 PMCID: PMC10073058 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-023-09445-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
There is a popular idea that archaic humans commonly used wooden clubs as their weapons. This is not based on archaeological finds, which are minimal from the Pleistocene, but rather on a few ethnographic analogies and the association of these weapons with simple technology. This article presents the first quantitative cross-cultural analysis of the use of wooden clubs and throwing sticks for hunting and violence among foragers. Using a sample of 57 recent hunting-gathering societies from the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample, it is shown that the majority used clubs for violence (86%) and/or hunting (74%). Whereas in hunting and fishing the club usually served only as a secondary tool, 33% of societies used the club as one of their main fighting weapons. The use of throwing sticks was less frequent among the societies surveyed (12% for violence, 14% for hunting). Based on these results and other evidence, it is argued that the use of clubs by early humans was highly probable, at least in the simplest form of a crude stick. The great variation in the forms and use of clubs and throwing sticks among recent hunter-gatherers, however, indicates that they are not standardized weapons and that similar variation may have existed in the past. Many such prehistoric weapons may therefore have been quite sophisticated, multifunctional, and carried strong symbolic meaning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Václav Hrnčíř
- Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Institute of Archaeology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
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Chen J, Liu S, Yin L, Cao H, Xi G, Zhang Z, Liu J, Luo R, Han L, Yin Y, Guo J. Non-destructive preservation state estimation of waterlogged archaeological wooden artifacts. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2023; 285:121840. [PMID: 36115308 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2022.121840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Non-destructive preservation state estimation is an essential prerequisite for the preservation and conservation of waterlogged archaeological wooden artifacts. Herein, Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy coupled with orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were applied to assess sixty-four waterlogged archaeological woods collected from seven excavation sites in the period range of 2900 BCE-1912 CE, aiming at developing a non-destructive, accurate and rapid preservation state estimation methodology. The role of non-decayed recent wood of relevant species on preservation state estimation was studied in prior, showing the use of non-decayed recent wood could not improve the predictive ability. Besides, the high variability in terms of chemical structure between archaeological softwoods and archaeological hardwoods did affect the preservation state estimation. Thus, a simple OPLS-DA model of non-destructively distinguishing archaeological hardwoods from softwoods, R2Xcum of 0.659, R2Ycum of 0.836 and Q2cum of 0.763, was established to avoid and overcome destructive approach for wood identification. Then, the well-defined three grouped separations of slightly-decayed, moderately-decayed and severely-decayed waterlogged archaeological woods were revealed in OPLS-DA models, providing R2Xcum of 0.793, R2Ycum of 0.738, Q2cum of 0.680, and R2Xcum of 0.780, R2Ycum of 0.901, Q2cum of 0.870, for waterlogged archaeological hardwoods and waterlogged archaeological softwoods respectively. Potential predictive wood spectral bands were screened and tentatively identified as hydroxyls of crystalline cellulose, acetyl groups of hemicelluloses, C-H bands of lignin, which guaranteed the elimination of non-structural compounds, such as water and inorganic components interference. Furthermore, the developed NIR methodology was validated by an extensively used destructive method consisting of anatomical characteristics, maximum water content and basic density analyses. The results indicated that NIR coupled to chemometrics could non-destructively and accurately predict the preservation states of waterlogged archaeological wooden artifacts and avoid the interference of water and inorganic deposits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiabao Chen
- Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China; Wood Collection of Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Shoujia Liu
- Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China; Wood Collection of Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Lijuan Yin
- Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China; Wood Collection of Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Huimin Cao
- Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Guanglan Xi
- National Center of Archaeology, Heping Road No. 21, Beijing 100031, China; Institute of Cultural Heritage and History of Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Xueyuan Road No.30, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Zhiguo Zhang
- National Center of Archaeology, Heping Road No. 21, Beijing 100031, China
| | - Jian'an Liu
- Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Jiaogong Road No.71, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang, China
| | - Rupeng Luo
- Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Jiaogong Road No.71, Hangzhou 310012, Zhejiang, China
| | - Liuyang Han
- Institute of Cultural Heritage and History of Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Xueyuan Road No.30, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yafang Yin
- Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China; Wood Collection of Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China
| | - Juan Guo
- Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China; Wood Collection of Chinese Academy of Forestry, Dongxiaofu No.1, Beijing 100091, China.
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9
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Taphonomic and technological analyses of Lower Palaeolithic bone tools from Clacton-on-Sea, UK. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20222. [PMID: 36418870 PMCID: PMC9684524 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23989-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The exceptional survival of Middle Pleistocene wooden spears at Schöningen (Germany) and Clacton-on-Sea (UK) provides tantalizing evidence for the widespread use of organic raw materials by early humans. At Clacton, less well-known organic artefacts include modified bones that were identified by the Abbé Henri Breuil in the 1920s. Some of these pieces were described and figured by Hazzledine Warren in his classic 1951 paper on the flint industry from the Clacton Channel, but they have been either overlooked in subsequent studies or dismissed as the product of natural damage. We provide the first detailed analysis of two Clactonian bone tools found by Warren and a previously unrecognized example recovered in 1934 during excavations directed by Mary Leakey. Microscopic examination of percussion damage suggests the bones were used as knapping hammers to shape or resharpen flake tools. Early Palaeolithic bone tools are exceedingly rare, and the Clacton examples are the earliest known organic knapping hammers associated with a core-and-flake (Mode 1) lithic technology. The use of soft hammers for knapping challenges the consensus that Clactonian flintknapping was undertaken solely with hard hammerstones, thus removing a major technological and behavioural difference used to distinguish the Clactonian from late Acheulean handaxe (Mode 2) industries.
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10
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Martellotta EF, Perston YL, Craft P, Wilkins J, Langley MC. Beyond the main function: An experimental study of the use of hardwood boomerangs in retouching activities. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273118. [PMID: 35972969 PMCID: PMC9380927 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Retouched lithic tools result from the functional modification of their edges following knapping operations. The study of the later stages of the reduction sequence is fundamental to understanding the techno-functional features of any toolkit. In Australia, a gap exists in the study of the chaîne opératoire of lithic tools shaped or re-shaped through percussion retouching. In our previous works (Martellotta EF., 2021, Martellotta EF., 2022), we have presented evidence for the use of hardwood boomerangs for retouching purposes in Australian Aboriginal communities. Through a detailed experimental protocol, the present study demonstrates how boomerangs can function as retouchers. We found that the use-wear generated on the boomerang’s surface during retouch activity is comparable to retouch-induced impact traces observed on Palaeolithic bone retouchers, as well as to experimental bone retouchers generated in our replication experiments. Finally, we explore the role that microscopic lithic chips embedded in the retouchers’ surface play in the formation process of retouching marks. Our results address the need for a deeper investigation of percussion retouching techniques in Australian contexts, opening the possibility that uncommon objects—such as boomerangs—could be used for this task. This concept also highlights the broader topic of the highly diverse multipurpose application of many Indigenous tools throughout Australia. At the same time, the study reveals a deep functional connection between osseous and wooden objects—a topic rarely investigated in archaeological contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Francesca Martellotta
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Yinika L. Perston
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Griffith Centre for Social Cultural Research, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - Paul Craft
- Birrunburra/Bundjalung/Yugambeh/Yuggera & Turrbal Aboriginal Nations
- Burragun Aboriginal Cultural Services, Burleigh Heads, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jayne Wilkins
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Human Evolution Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Michelle C. Langley
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Domínguez-Rodrigo M, Egeland CP, Cobo-Sánchez L, Baquedano E, Hulbert RC. Sabertooth carcass consumption behavior and the dynamics of Pleistocene large carnivoran guilds. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6045. [PMID: 35501323 PMCID: PMC9061710 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09480-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractApex predators play an important role in the top-down regulation of ecological communities. Their hunting and feeding behaviors influence, respectively, prey demography and the availability of resources to other consumers. Among the most iconic—and enigmatic—terrestrial predators of the late Cenozoic are the Machairodontinae, a diverse group of big cats whose hypertrophied upper canines have earned them the moniker “sabertooths.” Many aspects of these animals’ paleobiology, especially their prey preferences and carcass consumption behavior, remain unsettled. While skeletal anatomy, dental morphology and wear, and isotopic profiles provide important insights, the most direct way to resolve these issues is through the fossil remains of sabertooth prey. Here, we report on a taphonomic analysis of an early Pleistocene faunal assemblage from Haile 21A (Florida, USA) that preserves feeding damage from the lion-sized sabertooth Xenosmilus hodsonae. Patterns of tooth-marking and bone damage indicate that Xenosmilus fully defleshed the carcasses of their prey and even engaged in some minor bone consumption. This has important implications for Pleistocene carnivoran guild dynamics, including the carcass foraging behavior of the first stone-tool-using hominins.
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Daujeard C, Prat S. What Are the “Costs and Benefits” of Meat-Eating in Human Evolution? The Challenging Contribution of Behavioral Ecology to Archeology. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.834638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the omnivorous diet of most human populations, meat foraging gradually increased during the Paleolithic, in parallel with the development of hunting capacities. There is evidence of regular meat consumption by extinct hominins from 2 Ma onward, with the first occurrence prior to 3 Ma in Eastern Africa. The number of sites with cut-marked animal remains and stone tools increased after 2 Ma. In addition, toolkits became increasingly complex, and various, facilitating carcass defleshing and marrow recovery, the removal of quarters of meat to avoid carnivore competition, and allowing the emergence of cooperative (i.e., social) hunting of large herbivores. How can we assess the energy costs and benefits of meat and fat acquisition and consumption for hunter-gatherers in the past, and is it possible to accurately evaluate them? Answering this question would provide a better understanding of extinct hominin land use, food resource management, foraging strategies, and cognitive abilities related to meat and fat acquisition, processing, and consumption. According to the Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT), resources may be chosen primarily on the basis of their efficiency rank in term of calories. But, could other factors, and not only calorific return, prevail in the choice of prey, such as the acquisition of non-food products, like pelts, bone tools or ornaments, or symbolic or traditional uses? Our main goal here is to question the direct application of behavioral ecology data to archeology. For this purpose, we focus on the issue of animal meat and fat consumption in human evolution. We propose a short review of available data from energetics and ethnographic records, and provide examples of several various-sized extant animals, such as elephants, reindeer, or lagomorphs, which were some of the most common preys of Paleolithic hominins.
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de Chevalier G, Bouret S, Bardo A, Simmen B, Garcia C, Prat S. Cost-Benefit Trade-Offs of Aquatic Resource Exploitation in the Context of Hominin Evolution. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.812804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While the exploitation of aquatic fauna and flora has been documented in several primate species to date, the evolutionary contexts and mechanisms behind the emergence of this behavior in both human and non-human primates remain largely overlooked. Yet, this issue is particularly important for our understanding of human evolution, as hominins represent not only the primate group with the highest degree of adaptedness to aquatic environments, but also the only group in which true coastal and maritime adaptations have evolved. As such, in the present study we review the available literature on primate foraging strategies related to the exploitation of aquatic resources and their putative associated cognitive operations. We propose that aquatic resource consumption in extant primates can be interpreted as a highly site-specific behavioral expression of a generic adaptive foraging decision-making process, emerging in sites at which the local cost-benefit trade-offs contextually favor aquatic over terrestrial foods. Within this framework, we discuss the potential impacts that the unique intensification of this behavior in hominins may have had on the evolution of the human brain and spatial ecology.
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14
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Abstract
Human evolution was strongly related to environmental factors. Woodlands and their products played a key role in the production of tools and weapons, and provided unique resources for constructions and fuel. Therefore wooden finds are essential in gaining insights into climatic and land use changes but also societal development during the Holocene. Dendroarchaeological investigations, based on tree rings, wood anatomy and techno-morphological characteristics are of great importance for a better understanding of past chronological processes as well as human-environment-interactions. Here we present an overview of the sources, methods, and concepts of this interdisciplinary field of dendroarchaeology focusing on Europe, where several tree-ring chronologies span most of the Holocene. We describe research examples from different periods of human history and discuss the current state of field. The long settlement history in Europe provides a myriad of wooden archeological samples not only for dating but also offer exciting new findings at the interface of natural and social sciences and the humanities.
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15
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The evolution of combinatoriality and compositionality in hominid tool use: a comparative perspective. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-021-00267-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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16
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Gärdenfors P. Causal Reasoning and Event Cognition as Evolutionary Determinants of Language Structure. ENTROPY 2021; 23:e23070843. [PMID: 34209081 PMCID: PMC8305407 DOI: 10.3390/e23070843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this article is to provide an evolutionarily grounded explanation of central aspects of the structure of language. It begins with an account of the evolution of human causal reasoning. A comparison between humans and non-human primates suggests that human causal cognition is based on reasoning about the underlying forces that are involved in events, while other primates hardly understand external forces. This is illustrated by an analysis of the causal cognition required for early hominin tool use. Second, the thinking concerning forces in causation is used to motivate a model of human event cognition. A mental representation of an event contains two vectors representing a cause as well as a result but also entities such as agents, patients, instruments and locations. The fundamental connection between event representations and language is that declarative sentences express events (or states). The event structure also explains why sentences are constituted of noun phrases and verb phrases. Finally, the components of the event representation show up in language, where causes and effects are expressed by verbs, agents and patients by nouns (modified by adjectives), locations by prepositions, etc. Thus, the evolution of the complexity of mental event representations also provides insight into the evolution of the structure of language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Gärdenfors
- Department of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, LUX, Lund University, Box 192, S-221 00 Lund, Sweden;
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park ZA-2006, South Africa
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Gravel-Miguel C, Murray JK, Schoville BJ, Wren CD, Marean CW. Exploring variability in lithic armature discard in the archaeological record. J Hum Evol 2021; 155:102981. [PMID: 33848696 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.102981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The invention of projectile technology had important ramifications for hominin evolution. However, the number of stone points that could have been used as projectiles fluctuates in archaeological assemblages, making it difficult to define when projectile technology was first widely adopted and how its usage changed over time. Here we use an agent-based model to simulate a hunter-gatherer foraging system where armatures are dropped according to their usage. We explore the impact of interactions between human behaviors and the environmental constraints of a data-informed landscape on the distribution and number of lithic armatures found in archaeological assemblages. We ran 2400 simulations modeling different population sizes, rates of hunting with projectiles, and tool curation levels. For each simulation, we recorded the location of dropped armatures and calculated the number and percentage of used armatures that were discarded at habitation camps vs. lost during hunting. We used linear regression to identify the demographic, behavioral, and environmental factor(s) that best explained changes in these numbers and percentages. The model results show that in a well-controlled environment, most armatures used as projectile weapons are lost or discarded at hunting sites; only ∼4.5% of used armatures (or ∼2 armatures per year of simulation) are discarded in habitation camps where they would likely be excavated. These findings suggest that even rare hafted armatures found in the Early and Middle Stone Age could indicate a well-established use of such tools. Our model shows that interactions between reoccupation of archaeological sites, population size, rate of hunting with projectile weapons, and tool curation levels strongly influence the count of lithic armatures found in archaeological assemblages. Therefore, we argue that fluctuations in the counts of armatures documented at archaeological sites should be evaluated within their demographic and environmental contexts to better understand if they reflect spatiotemporal changes in hunting behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudine Gravel-Miguel
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; Département d'anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| | - John K Murray
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Benjamin J Schoville
- School of Social Science, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Colin D Wren
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
| | - Curtis W Marean
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University, Eastern Cape, South Africa
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18
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Garcia C, Bouret S, Druelle F, Prat S. Balancing costs and benefits in primates: ecological and palaeoanthropological views. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190667. [PMID: 33423629 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Maintaining the balance between costs and benefits is challenging for species living in complex and dynamic socio-ecological environments, such as primates, but also crucial for shaping life history, reproductive and feeding strategies. Indeed, individuals must decide to invest time and energy to obtain food, services and partners, with little direct feedback on the success of their investments. Whereas decision-making relies heavily upon cognition in humans, the extent to which it also involves cognition in other species, based on their environmental constraints, has remained a challenging question. Building mental representations relating behaviours and their long-term outcome could be critical for other primates, but there are actually very little data relating cognition to real socio-ecological challenges in extant and extinct primates. Here, we review available data illustrating how specific cognitive processes enable(d) modern primates and extinct hominins to manage multiple resources (e.g. food, partners) and to organize their behaviour in space and time, both at the individual and at the group level. We particularly focus on how they overcome fluctuating and competing demands, and select courses of action corresponding to the best possible packages of potential costs and benefits in reproductive and foraging contexts. This article is part of the theme issue 'Existence and prevalence of economic behaviours among non-human primates'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Garcia
- UMR 7206, CNRS-Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle-Université de Paris, CNRS-Musfum national d'Histoire naturelle-UPVD, Musée de l'Homme, 17 Place du Trocadéro, 75016 Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Bouret
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), CNRS UMR 7225-INSERM U1127-UPMC UMR S 1127, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière 47, boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - François Druelle
- UMR 7194 (Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique), CNRS-Musfum national d'Histoire naturelle-UPVD, Musée de l'Homme, 17 Place du Trocadéro, 75016 Paris, France.,Functional Morphology Laboratory, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sandrine Prat
- UMR 7194 (Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique), CNRS-Musfum national d'Histoire naturelle-UPVD, Musée de l'Homme, 17 Place du Trocadéro, 75016 Paris, France
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