1
|
Falcucci A, Arrighi S, Spagnolo V, Rossini M, Higgins OA, Muttillo B, Martini I, Crezzini J, Boschin F, Ronchitelli A, Moroni A. A pre-Campanian Ignimbrite techno-cultural shift in the Aurignacian sequence of Grotta di Castelcivita, southern Italy. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12783. [PMID: 38834616 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59896-6] [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: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The Aurignacian is the first European technocomplex assigned to Homo sapiens recognized across a wide geographic extent. Although archaeologists have identified marked chrono-cultural shifts within the Aurignacian mostly by examining the techno-typological variations of stone and osseous tools, unraveling the underlying processes driving these changes remains a significant scientific challenge. Scholars have, for instance, hypothesized that the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) super-eruption and the climatic deterioration associated with the onset of Heinrich Event 4 had a substantial impact on European foraging groups. The technological shift from the Protoaurignacian to the Early Aurignacian is regarded as an archaeological manifestation of adaptation to changing environments. However, some of the most crucial regions and stratigraphic sequences for testing these scenarios have been overlooked. In this study, we delve into the high-resolution stratigraphic sequence of Grotta di Castelcivita in southern Italy. Here, the Uluzzian is followed by three Aurignacian layers, sealed by the eruptive units of the CI. Employing a comprehensive range of quantitative methods-encompassing attribute analysis, 3D model analysis, and geometric morphometrics-we demonstrate that the key technological feature commonly associated with the Early Aurignacian developed well before the deposition of the CI tephra. Our study provides thus the first direct evidence that the volcanic super-eruption played no role in this cultural process. Furthermore, we show that local paleo-environmental proxies do not correlate with the identified patterns of cultural continuity and discontinuity. Consequently, we propose alternative research paths to explore the role of demography and regional trajectories in the development of the Upper Paleolithic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Armando Falcucci
- Department of Geosciences, Prehistory and Archaeological Sciences Research Unit, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Simona Arrighi
- Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Università di Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, UR Preistoria e Antropologia, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Spagnolo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, UR Preistoria e Antropologia, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Matteo Rossini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, UR Preistoria e Antropologia, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Owen Alexander Higgins
- Dipartimento di Beni Culturali, Università di Bologna, Via degli Ariani 1, 48121, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Brunella Muttillo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, UR Preistoria e Antropologia, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Ivan Martini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Jacopo Crezzini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, UR Preistoria e Antropologia, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Francesco Boschin
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, UR Preistoria e Antropologia, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Annamaria Ronchitelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, UR Preistoria e Antropologia, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Adriana Moroni
- Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell'Ambiente, UR Preistoria e Antropologia, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, 53100, Siena, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Thulman DK, Shott MJ, Slade AM, Williams JP. Clovis point allometry, modularity, and integration: Exploring shape variation due to tool use with landmark-based geometric morphometrics. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289489. [PMID: 37585417 PMCID: PMC10431674 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Landmark-based geometric morphometrics (LGM) is most often used in archaeology to characterize and differentiate groups of artifacts, but it can be used for much more. We demonstrate LGM's power to uncover new insights by exploring stone-tool allometry, modularity, and integration using a sample of 100 western North American Clovis points. Here, allometry concerns how stone tools change in shape as their size changes through their use-lives, and modularity and integration concern how the constituent parts of a tool work together. We show that Clovis points are surprisingly complex tools. When their blades and hafts are defined technologically, rather than arbitrarily, they unambiguously exhibit allometry, and their hafts and blades are modular and highly integrated. We use these analyses to further explore questions about Clovis points, including the differences between cache and non-cache points. Finally, we use heuristic haft-size categories to examine functional constraints on the shape and size of hafts and blades. This work illustrates the importance of using accurate measurements of point components rather than estimates or proxies, which can lead to unfounded inferences. These analytical approaches and accompanying R code are easily transferable to other research questions of stone-tool use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David K. Thulman
- Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Shott
- Department of Anthropology, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Alan M. Slade
- Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Timbrell L, Scott C, Habte B, Tefera Y, Monod H, Qazzih M, Marais B, Black W, Maroma C, Ndiema E, Henderson S, Elmes K, Plomp K, Grove M. Testing inter-observer error under a collaborative research framework for studying lithic shape variability. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2022; 14:209. [PMID: 36212164 PMCID: PMC9525927 DOI: 10.1007/s12520-022-01676-2] [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: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Evaluating error that arises through the aggregation of data recorded by multiple observers is a key consideration in many metric and geometric morphometric analyses of stone tool shape. One of the most common approaches involves the convergence of observers for repeat trails on the same set of artefacts: however, this is logistically and financially challenging when collaborating internationally and/or at a large scale. We present and evaluate a unique alternative for testing inter-observer error, involving the development of 3D printed copies of a lithic reference collection for distribution among observers. With the aim of reducing error, clear protocols were developed for photographing and measuring the replicas, and inter-observer variability was assessed on the replicas in comparison with a corresponding data set recorded by a single observer. Our results demonstrate that, when the photography procedure is standardized and dimensions are clearly defined, the resulting metric and geometric morphometric data are minimally affected by inter-observer error, supporting this method as an effective solution for assessing error under collaborative research frameworks. Collaboration is becoming increasingly important within archaeological and anthropological sciences in order to increase the accessibility of samples, encourage dual-project development between foreign and local researchers and reduce the carbon footprint of collection-based research. This study offers a promising validation of a collaborative research design whereby researchers remotely work together to produce comparable data capturing lithic shape variability. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12520-022-01676-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Timbrell
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Christopher Scott
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Behailu Habte
- Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Yosef Tefera
- Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage, National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Hélène Monod
- Département Homme Et Environnement, Musée de L’Homme, Paris, France
| | - Mouna Qazzih
- Institut National Des Sciences de L’Archéologie Et du Patrimoine, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Benjamin Marais
- Archaeology Unit, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Wendy Black
- Archaeology Unit, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Christine Maroma
- Department of Archaeology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Emmanuel Ndiema
- Department of Archaeology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Struan Henderson
- Mossel Bay Archaeological Project, Western Cape Province, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Katherine Elmes
- Mossel Bay Archaeological Project, Western Cape Province, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kimberly Plomp
- Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Colombia Canada
| | - Matt Grove
- Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Falcucci A, Peresani M. The contribution of integrated 3D model analysis to Protoaurignacian stone tool design. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268539. [PMID: 35584150 PMCID: PMC9116640 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268539] [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: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Protoaurignacian foragers relied heavily on the production and use of bladelets. Techno-typological studies of these implements have provided insights into crucial aspects of cultural variability. However, new technologies have seldom been used to quantify patterns of stone tool design. Taking advantage of a new scanning protocol and open-source software, we conduct the first 3D analysis of a Protoaurignacian assemblage, focusing on the selection and modification of blades and bladelets. We study a large dataset of complete blanks and retouched tools from the early Protoaurignacian assemblage at Fumane Cave in northeastern Italy. Our main goal is to validate and refine previous techno-typological considerations employing a 3D geometric morphometrics approach complemented by 2D analysis of cross-section outlines and computation of retouch angle. The encouraging results show the merits of the proposed integrated approach and confirm that bladelets were the main focus of stone knapping at the site. Among modified bladelets, various retouching techniques were applied to achieve specific shape objectives. We suggest that the variability observed among retouched bladelets relates to the design of multi-part artifacts that need to be further explored via renewed experimental and functional studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Armando Falcucci
- Department of Geosciences, Prehistory and Archaeological Sciences Research Unit, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Marco Peresani
- Department of Humanities, Prehistoric and Anthropological Sciences Unit, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering, National Research Council, Milano, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Göldner D, Karakostis FA, Falcucci A. Practical and technical aspects for the 3D scanning of lithic artefacts using micro-computed tomography techniques and laser light scanners for subsequent geometric morphometric analysis. Introducing the StyroStone protocol. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267163. [PMID: 35446900 PMCID: PMC9022823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we present a new method to scan a large number of lithic artefacts using three-dimensional scanning technology. Despite the rising use of high-resolution 3D surface scanners in archaeological sciences, no virtual studies have focused on the 3D digitization and analysis of small lithic implements such as bladelets, microblades, and microflakes. This is mostly due to difficulties in creating reliable 3D meshes of these artefacts resulting from several inherent features (i.e., size, translucency, and acute edge angles), which compromise the efficiency of structured light or laser scanners and photogrammetry. Our new protocol StyroStone addresses this problem by proposing a step-by-step procedure relying on the use of micro-computed tomographic technology, which is able to capture the 3D shape of small lithic implements in high detail. We tested a system that enables us to scan hundreds of artefacts together at once within a single scanning session lasting a few hours. As also bigger lithic artefacts (i.e., blades) are present in our sample, this protocol is complemented by a short guide on how to effectively scan such artefacts using a structured light scanner (Artec Space Spider). Furthermore, we estimate the accuracy of our scanning protocol using principal component analysis of 3D Procrustes shape coordinates on a sample of meshes of bladelets obtained with both micro-computed tomography and another scanning device (i.e., Artec Micro). A comprehensive review on the use of 3D geometric morphometrics in lithic analysis and other computer-based approaches is provided in the introductory chapter to show the advantages of improving 3D scanning protocols and increasing the digitization of our prehistoric human heritage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Göldner
- Department of Palaeoanthropology, Institute of Archaeological Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Fotios Alexandros Karakostis
- Department of Palaeoanthropology, Institute of Archaeological Science, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) Center for Advanced Studies “Words, Bones, Genes, Tools,” Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Armando Falcucci
- Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, Schloss Hohentübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
A worked bone assemblage from 120,000-90,000 year old deposits at Contrebandiers Cave, Atlantic Coast, Morocco. iScience 2021; 24:102988. [PMID: 34622180 PMCID: PMC8478944 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of Homo sapiens in Pleistocene Africa is associated with a profound reconfiguration of technology. Symbolic expression and personal ornamentation, new tool forms, and regional technological traditions are widely recognized as the earliest indicators of complex culture and cognition in humans. Here we describe a bone tool tradition from Contrebandiers Cave on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, dated between 120,000-90,000 years ago. The bone tools were produced for different activities, including likely leather and fur working, and were found in association with carnivore remains that were possibly skinned for fur. A cetacean tooth tip bears what is likely a combination of anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic modification and shows the use of a marine mammal tooth by early humans. The evidence from Contrebandiers Cave demonstrates that the pan-African emergence of complex culture included the use of multiple and diverse materials for specialized tool manufacture.
Collapse
|
7
|
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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Niekus MJLT, Kozowyk PRB, Langejans GHJ, Ngan-Tillard D, van Keulen H, van der Plicht J, Cohen KM, van Wingerden W, van Os B, Smit BI, Amkreutz LWSW, Johansen L, Verbaas A, Dusseldorp GL. Middle Paleolithic complex technology and a Neandertal tar-backed tool from the Dutch North Sea. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:22081-22087. [PMID: 31636186 PMCID: PMC6825292 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1907828116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the discovery of a 50,000-y-old birch tar-hafted flint tool found off the present-day coastline of The Netherlands. The production of adhesives and multicomponent tools is considered complex technology and has a prominent place in discussions about the evolution of human behavior. This find provides evidence on the technological capabilities of Neandertals and illuminates the currently debated conditions under which these technologies could be maintained. 14C-accelerator mass spectrometry dating and the geological provenance of the artifact firmly associates it with a host of Middle Paleolithic stone tools and a Neandertal fossil. The find was analyzed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, X-ray micro-computed tomography, and optical light microscopy. The object is a piece of birch tar, encompassing one-third of a flint flake. This find is from northwestern Europe and complements a small set of well-dated and chemically identified adhesives from Middle Paleolithic/Middle Stone Age contexts. Together with data from experiments and other Middle Paleolithic adhesives, it demonstrates that Neandertals mastered complex adhesive production strategies and composite tool use at the northern edge of their range. Thus, a large population size is not a necessary condition for complex behavior and technology. The mitigation of ecological risk, as demonstrated by the challenging conditions during Marine Isotope Stage 4 and 3, provides a better explanation for the transmission and maintenance of technological complexity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcel J L Th Niekus
- Stichting STONE/Foundation for Stone Age Research in The Netherlands, 9741 KW Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Paul R B Kozowyk
- Faculty of Archeology, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands;
| | - Geeske H J Langejans
- Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands;
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2092, South Africa
| | - Dominique Ngan-Tillard
- Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Henk van Keulen
- Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, 1071 ZC Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Johannes van der Plicht
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kim M Cohen
- Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Bertil van Os
- Cultural Heritage Agency of The Netherlands, 3811 MG Amersfoort, The Netherlands
| | - Bjørn I Smit
- Cultural Heritage Agency of The Netherlands, 3811 MG Amersfoort, The Netherlands
| | - Luc W S W Amkreutz
- Faculty of Archeology, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
- National Museum of Antiquities, 2301 EC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lykke Johansen
- Archeological Drawings and Analyses, 9751 SC Haren, The Netherlands
| | - Annemieke Verbaas
- Faculty of Archeology, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gerrit L Dusseldorp
- Faculty of Archeology, Leiden University, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
- Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2092, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
|
10
|
O'Driscoll CA, Thompson JC. The origins and early elaboration of projectile technology. Evol Anthropol 2018; 27:30-45. [PMID: 29446556 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The ability of Homo sapiens to kill prey at a distance is arguably one of the catalysts for our current ecological dominance. Many researchers have suggested its origins lie in the African Middle Stone Age or the European Middle Palaeolithic (∼300-30 thousand years ago), but the perishable components of armatures rarely preserve. Most research on this subject therefore emphasises analysis of armature tip size, shape, and diagnostic impacts or residues. Other lines of evidence have included human skeletal anatomy or analyses of the species composition of faunal assemblages. Projectile Impact Marks (PIMs) on archaeofaunal remains offer an ideal complement to this work, but their potential has been restricted mainly to the later Eurasian zooarchaeological record. A review of current evidence and approaches shows that systematic PIM research could add much to our understanding of early projectile technology, especially in Africa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Corey A O'Driscoll
- School of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Iovita R, Tuvi-Arad I, Moncel MH, Despriée J, Voinchet P, Bahain JJ. High handaxe symmetry at the beginning of the European Acheulian: The data from la Noira (France) in context. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177063. [PMID: 28520745 PMCID: PMC5435177 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2017] [Accepted: 04/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last few decades, new discoveries have pushed the beginning of the biface-rich European Acheulian from 500 thousand years (ka) ago back to at least 700 ka, and possibly to 1 million years (Ma) ago. It remains, however, unclear to date if handaxes arrived in Europe as a fully developed technology or if they evolved locally from core-and-flake industries. This issue is also linked with another long-standing debate on the existence and behavioral, cognitive, and social meaning of a possibly chronological trend for increased handaxe symmetry throughout the Lower Paleolithic. The newly discovered sites can provide a link between the much older Acheulian in Africa and the Levant and the well-known assemblages from the later European Acheulian, enabling a rigorous testing of these hypotheses using modern morphometric methods. Here we use the Continuous Symmetry Measure (CSM) method to quantify handaxe symmetry at la Noira, a newly excavated site in central France, which features two archaeological levels, respectively ca. 700 ka and 500 ka old. In order to provide a context for the new data, we use a large aggregate from the well-known 500 ka old site of Boxgrove, England. We show that handaxes from the oldest layer at la Noira, although on average less symmetric than both those from the younger layers at the same site and than those from Boxgrove, are nevertheless much more symmetric than other early Acheulian specimens evaluated using the CSM method. We also correlate trends in symmetry to degree of reduction, demonstrating that raw material availability and discard patterns may affect observed symmetry values. We conclude that it is likely that, by the time the Acheulian arrived in Europe, its makers were, from a cognitive and motor-control point of view, already capable of producing the symmetric variant of this technology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Radu Iovita
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Archäologie, Neuwied, Germany
- Center for the Study of Human Origins, Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Inbal Tuvi-Arad
- Department of Natural Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Raanana, Israel
| | - Marie-Hélène Moncel
- Département de Préhistoire-UMR 7194 CNRS, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Jackie Despriée
- Département de Préhistoire-UMR 7194 CNRS, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Voinchet
- Département de Préhistoire-UMR 7194 CNRS, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Bahain
- Département de Préhistoire-UMR 7194 CNRS, Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Sahle Y, Braun DR. A reply to Douze and Delagnes's 'The pattern of emergence of a Middle Stone Age tradition at Gademotta and Kulkuletti (Ethiopia) through convergent tool and point technologies' [J. Hum. Evol. 91 (2016) 93-121]. J Hum Evol 2017; 125:201-206. [PMID: 28089508 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Revised: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Douze and Delagnes (2016) revisit Middle Stone Age (MSA) lithic assemblages from the Gademotta Formation (Fm.), Ethiopia. Their analysis of selected assemblages from three of the 1972 excavations expands the original typo-technological interpretations by Wendorf and Schild (1974). We particularly welcome their evaluation of our recent inferences about the function of pointed artifacts and technological patterns in the Gademotta Fm. (Sahle et al., 2013, 2014). However, we find several arguments and conclusions in Douze and Delagnes (2016) to be rather unconvincing and irreconcilable with results from analyses of whole assemblages (Wendorf and Schild, 1974; Sahle et al., 2013, 2014). Specifically, their summary attribution of all early MSA burin-like fractures on the distal tips of pointed artifacts to intentional resharpening blows, and their use of this pattern as a technological "chrono-marker" unique to the region are untenable. Here, we highlight these issues in the hopes of a clearer understanding of the evident technological patterns in the Gademotta Fm.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yonatan Sahle
- DFG Center for Advanced Studies, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - David R Braun
- Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20025, USA; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Schoville BJ, Brown KS, Harris JA, Wilkins J. New Experiments and a Model-Driven Approach for Interpreting Middle Stone Age Lithic Point Function Using the Edge Damage Distribution Method. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164088. [PMID: 27736886 PMCID: PMC5063385 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 09/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Middle Stone Age (MSA) is associated with early evidence for symbolic material culture and complex technological innovations. However, one of the most visible aspects of MSA technologies are unretouched triangular stone points that appear in the archaeological record as early as 500,000 years ago in Africa and persist throughout the MSA. How these tools were being used and discarded across a changing Pleistocene landscape can provide insight into how MSA populations prioritized technological and foraging decisions. Creating inferential links between experimental and archaeological tool use helps to establish prehistoric tool function, but is complicated by the overlaying of post-depositional damage onto behaviorally worn tools. Taphonomic damage patterning can provide insight into site formation history, but may preclude behavioral interpretations of tool function. Here, multiple experimental processes that form edge damage on unretouched lithic points from taphonomic and behavioral processes are presented. These provide experimental distributions of wear on tool edges from known processes that are then quantitatively compared to the archaeological patterning of stone point edge damage from three MSA lithic assemblages-Kathu Pan 1, Pinnacle Point Cave 13B, and Die Kelders Cave 1. By using a model-fitting approach, the results presented here provide evidence for variable MSA behavioral strategies of stone point utilization on the landscape consistent with armature tips at KP1, and cutting tools at PP13B and DK1, as well as damage contributions from post-depositional sources across assemblages. This study provides a method with which landscape-scale questions of early modern human tool-use and site-use can be addressed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J. Schoville
- Centre for Excellence in Palaeosciences Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
- Human Evolution Research Institute, Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Kyle S. Brown
- Human Evolution Research Institute, Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Jacob A. Harris
- Institute for Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85287, United States of America
| | - Jayne Wilkins
- Human Evolution Research Institute, Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
A New Chronology for Rhafas, Northeast Morocco, Spanning the North African Middle Stone Age through to the Neolithic. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162280. [PMID: 27654350 PMCID: PMC5031315 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Archaeological sites in northern Africa provide a rich record of increasing importance for the origins of modern human behaviour and for understanding human dispersal out of Africa. However, the timing and nature of Palaeolithic human behaviour and dispersal across north-western Africa (the Maghreb), and their relationship to local environmental conditions, remain poorly understood. The cave of Rhafas (northeast Morocco) provides valuable chronological information about cultural changes in the Maghreb during the Palaeolithic due to its long stratified archaeological sequence comprising Middle Stone Age (MSA), Later Stone Age (LSA) and Neolithic occupation layers. In this study, we apply optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on sand-sized quartz grains to the cave deposits of Rhafas, as well as to a recently excavated section on the terrace in front of the cave entrance. We hereby provide a revised chronostratigraphy for the archaeological sequence at the site. We combine these results with geological and sedimentological multi-proxy investigations to gain insights into site formation processes and the palaeoenvironmental record of the region. The older sedimentological units at Rhafas were deposited between 135 ka and 57 ka (MIS 6 –MIS 3) and are associated with the MSA technocomplex. Tanged pieces start to occur in the archaeological layers around 109 ka, which is consistent with previously published chronological data from the Maghreb. A well indurated duricrust indicates favourable climatic conditions for the pedogenic cementation by carbonates of sediment layers at the site after 57 ka. Overlying deposits attributed to the LSA technocomplex yield ages of ~21 ka and ~15 ka, corresponding to the last glacial period, and fall well within the previously established occupation phase in the Maghreb. The last occupation phase at Rhafas took place during the Neolithic and is dated to ~7.8 ka.
Collapse
|
15
|
Archer W, Pop CM, Gunz P, McPherron SP. What is Still Bay? Human biogeography and bifacial point variability. J Hum Evol 2016; 97:58-72. [PMID: 27457545 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2015] [Revised: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
'Still Bay' is the name given to a cultural phase within the southern African Middle Stone Age, which remains critical to our understanding of modern human behavioural evolution. Although represented in only a handful of sites, the Still Bay is widespread geographically and, at certain localities, persisted over a substantial period of time. Many studies have focused on tracing the temporal range and geographic reach of the Still Bay, as well as inferring degrees of early modern human demographic connectedness from these parameters. Variation within the Still Bay, relative to the accuracy with which it can be identified, has received considerably less attention. However, demographic models based on the spread of the Still Bay in space and time hinge on the reliability with which it can be recognized in the archaeological record. Here we document patterns of bifacial point shape and size variation in some key Still Bay assemblages, and analyse these patterns using the statistical shape analysis tools of geometric morphometrics. Morphological variation appears to be geographically structured and is driven by the spatial separation between north-eastern and south-western clusters of sites. We argue that allometric variation is labile and reflects environmentally driven differences in point reduction, whereas shape differences unrelated to size more closely reflect technological and cultural fragmentation. Our results suggest that the biogeographic structure of Middle Stone Age populations was complex during the period associated with the Still Bay, and provide little support for heightened levels of cultural interconnectedness between distantly separated groups at this time. We briefly discuss the implications of our findings for tracing classic techno-traditions in the Middle Stone Age record of southern Africa, and for inferring underpinning population dynamics from these patterns.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Will Archer
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Cornel M Pop
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Shannon P McPherron
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Chacón MG, Détroit F, Coudenneau A, Moncel MH. Morphometric Assessment of Convergent Tool Technology and Function during the Early Middle Palaeolithic: The Case of Payre, France. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155316. [PMID: 27191164 PMCID: PMC4871435 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
There appears to be little doubt as to the existence of an intentional technological resolve to produce convergent tools during the Middle Palaeolithic. However, the use of these pieces as pointed tools is still subject to debate: i.e., handheld tool vs. hafted tool. Present-day technological analysis has begun to apply new methodologies in order to quantify shape variability and to decipher the role of the morphology of these pieces in relation to function; for instance, geometric morphometric analyses have recently been applied with successful results. This paper presents a study of this type of analysis on 37 convergent tools from level Ga of Payre site (France), dated to MIS 8–7. These pieces are non-standardized knapping products produced by discoidal and orthogonal core technologies. Moreover, macro-wear studies attest to various activities on diverse materials with no evidence of hafting or projectile use. The aim of this paper is to test the geometric morphometric approach on non-standardized artefacts applying the Elliptical Fourier analysis (EFA) to 3D contours and to assess the potential relationship between size and shape, technology and function. This study is innovative in that it is the first time that this method, considered to be a valuable complement for describing technological and functional attributes, is applied to 3D contours of lithic products. Our results show that this methodology ensures a very good degree of accuracy in describing shape variations of the sharp edges of technologically non-standardized convergent tools. EFA on 3D contours indicates variations in deviations of the outline along the third dimension (i.e., dorso-ventrally) and yields quantitative and insightful information on the actual shape variations of tools. Several statistically significant relationships are found between shape variation and use-wear attributes, though the results emphasize the large variability of the shape of the convergent tools, which, in general, does not show a strong direct association with technological features and function. This is in good agreement with the technological context of this chronological period, characterized by a wide diversity of non-standardized tools adapted to multipurpose functions for varied subsistence activities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M. Gema Chacón
- IPHES, Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Tarragona, Spain
- Àrea de Prehistòria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona, Spain
- UMR7194 – HNHP (CNRS – MNHN – UPVD – Sorbonne Universités), Paris, France
- * E-mail: ;
| | - Florent Détroit
- UMR7194 – HNHP (CNRS – MNHN – UPVD – Sorbonne Universités), Paris, France
| | - Aude Coudenneau
- LAMPEA, UMR 7269 (AMU – CNRS – MCC – IRD), Aix-en-Provence, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Wilkins J, Schoville BJ. Edge Damage on 500-Thousand-Year-Old Spear Tips from Kathu Pan 1, South Africa: The Combined Effects of Spear Use and Taphonomic Processes. VERTEBRATE PALEOBIOLOGY AND PALEOANTHROPOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-7602-8_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
|
18
|
Archer W, Gunz P, van Niekerk KL, Henshilwood CS, McPherron SP. Diachronic Change within the Still Bay at Blombos Cave, South Africa. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0132428. [PMID: 26134976 PMCID: PMC4489860 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Characteristically shaped bifacial points are stone artefacts with which the Middle Stone Age Still Bay techno-complex in Southern Africa is identified. Traditional approaches such as chaîne opératoire and two-dimensional metrics in combination with attribute analyses have been used to analyse variability within Still Bay point assemblages. Here we develop a protocol to extract and analyse high resolution 3-dimensional geometric morphometric information about Still Bay point morphology. We also investigate ways in which the independent variables of time, raw-material and tool size may be driving patterns of shape variation in the Blombos Cave point assemblage. We demonstrate that at a single, stratified Still Bay site points undergo significant modal changes in tool morphology and standardization. Our results caution against (1) treatment of the Still Bay as a static technological entity and (2) drawing demographic inferences stemming from grouping Still Bay point collections within the same cultural label.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Will Archer
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Philipp Gunz
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Karen L. van Niekerk
- Institute for Archaeology, History, Culture and Religious Studies, University of Bergen, Øysteinsgate 3, N-5007 Bergen, Norway
| | - Christopher S. Henshilwood
- Institute for Archaeology, History, Culture and Religious Studies, University of Bergen, Øysteinsgate 3, N-5007 Bergen, Norway
- Institute for Human Evolution, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Shannon P. McPherron
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Eren MI, Jennings TA, Smallwood AM. Paleoindian unifacial stone tool 'spurs': intended accessories or incidental accidents? PLoS One 2013; 8:e78419. [PMID: 24236017 PMCID: PMC3827241 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2013] [Accepted: 09/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Paleoindian unifacial stone tools frequently exhibit distinct, sharp projections, known as “spurs”. During the last two decades, a theoretically and empirically informed interpretation–based on individual artifact analysis, use-wear, tool-production techniques, and studies of resharpening–suggested that spurs were sometimes created intentionally via retouch, and other times created incidentally via resharpening or knapping accidents. However, more recently Weedman strongly criticized the inference that Paleoindian spurs were ever intentionally produced or served a functional purpose, and asserted that ethnographic research “demonstrates that the presence of so called ‘graver’ spurs does not have a functional significance.” While ethnographic data cannot serve as a direct test of the archaeological record, we used Weedman’s ethnographic observations to create two quantitative predictions of the Paleoindian archaeological record in order to directly examine the hypothesis that Paleoindian spurs were predominantly accidents occurring incidentally via resharpening and reshaping. The first prediction is that the frequency of spurs should increase as tool reduction proceeds. The second prediction is that the frequency of spurs should increase as tool breakage increases. An examination of 563 unbroken tools and 629 tool fragments from the Clovis archaeological record of the North American Lower Great Lakes region showed that neither prediction was consistent with the notion that spurs were predominately accidents. Instead, our results support the prevailing viewpoint that spurs were sometimes created intentionally via retouch, and other times, created incidentally via resharpening or knapping accidents. Behaviorally, this result is consistent with the notion that unifacial stone tools were multifunctional implements that enhanced the mobile lifestyle of Pleistocene hunter-gatherers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Metin I. Eren
- Department of Anthropology, Marlowe Building, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
- Department of Archaeology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Thomas A. Jennings
- Department of Anthropology, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Ashley M. Smallwood
- Department of Anthropology, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Dibble HL, Aldeias V, Jacobs Z, Olszewski DI, Rezek Z, Lin SC, Alvarez-Fernández E, Barshay-Szmidt CC, Hallett-Desguez E, Reed D, Reed K, Richter D, Steele TE, Skinner A, Blackwell B, Doronicheva E, El-Hajraoui M. On the industrial attributions of the Aterian and Mousterian of the Maghreb. J Hum Evol 2013; 64:194-210. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2012.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2012] [Revised: 10/23/2012] [Accepted: 10/23/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
21
|
Wilkins J, Schoville BJ, Brown KS, Chazan M. Evidence for Early Hafted Hunting Technology. Science 2012; 338:942-6. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1227608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jayne Wilkins
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, 19 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2S2, Canada
| | - Benjamin J. Schoville
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Post Office Box 872402, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4101, USA
| | - Kyle S. Brown
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Post Office Box 872402, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4101, USA
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | - Michael Chazan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, 19 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2S2, Canada
| |
Collapse
|