The characteristics and chronology of the earliest Acheulean at Konso, Ethiopia
Yonas Beyene,Shigehiro Katoh,Giday WoldeGabriel,William K. Hart,Kozo Uto,Masafumi Sudo,Megumi Kondo,Masayuki Hyodo,Paul R. Renne,Paul R. Renne,Gen Suwa,Berhane Asfaw +11 more
TLDR
A newly established chronometric calibration is provided for the Acheulean assemblages of the Konso Formation, southern Ethiopia, which span the time period ∼1.75 to <1.0 Ma, paralleling the emergence of Homo erectus-like hominid morphology.Abstract:
The Acheulean technological tradition, characterized by a large (>10 cm) flake-based component, represents a significant technological advance over the Oldowan. Although stone tool assemblages attributed to the Acheulean have been reported from as early as circa 1.6–1.75 Ma, the characteristics of these earliest occurrences and comparisons with later assemblages have not been reported in detail. Here, we provide a newly established chronometric calibration for the Acheulean assemblages of the Konso Formation, southern Ethiopia, which span the time period ∼1.75 to <1.0 Ma. The earliest Konso Acheulean is chronologically indistinguishable from the assemblage recently published as the world’s earliest with an age of ∼1.75 Ma at Kokiselei, west of Lake Turkana, Kenya. This Konso assemblage is characterized by a combination of large picks and crude bifaces/unifaces made predominantly on large flake blanks. An increase in the number of flake scars was observed within the Konso Formation handaxe assemblages through time, but this was less so with picks. The Konso evidence suggests that both picks and handaxes were essential components of the Acheulean from its initial stages and that the two probably differed in function. The temporal refinement seen, especially in the handaxe forms at Konso, implies enhanced function through time, perhaps in processing carcasses with long and stable cutting edges. The documentation of the earliest Acheulean at ∼1.75 Ma in both northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia suggests that behavioral novelties were being established in a regional scale at that time, paralleling the emergence of Homo erectus-like hominid morphology.read more
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Experimental evidence for the co-evolution of hominin tool-making teaching and language
Thomas J. H. Morgan,Thomas J. H. Morgan,Natali Uomini,Luke Rendell,Laura Chouinard-Thuly,Laura Chouinard-Thuly,Sally E. Street,Hannah Lewis,Hannah Lewis,Catharine P. Cross,Cara L. Evans,R. Kearney,I. de la Torre,Andrew Whiten,Kevin N. Laland +14 more
TL;DR: The results support the hypothesis that hominin reliance on stone tool-making generated selection for teaching and language and imply that teaching or proto-language may have been pre-requisites for the appearance of Acheulean technology.
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How to learn about teaching: An evolutionary framework for the study of teaching behavior in humans and other animals.
TL;DR: It is argued that disputes about the nature and prevalence of teaching across human societies and nonhuman animals are based on a number of deep-rooted theoretical differences between fields, as well as on important differences in how teaching is defined.
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Imitation and Innovation: The Dual Engines of Cultural Learning
TL;DR: An integrated theoretical account of how the unique demands of acquiring instrumental skills and cultural conventions provide insight into when children imitate, when they innovate, and to what degree is proposed.
Journal ArticleDOI
The origin of early Acheulean expansion in Europe 700 ka ago: new findings at Notarchirico (Italy).
Marie-Hélène Moncel,Carmen Santagata,Carmen Santagata,Alison Pereira,Alison Pereira,Sébastien Nomade,Pierre Voinchet,Jean-Jacques Bahain,Camille Daujeard,Antonio Curci,Cristina Lemorini,Bruce Hardy,Giacomo Eramo,Claudio Berto,Jean-Paul Raynal,Jean-Paul Raynal,Marta Arzarello,Beniamino Mecozzi,Alessio Iannucci,Raffaele Sardella,Ignazio Allegretta,Emanuela Delluniversita,Roberto Terzano,Pauline Dugas,Gwenolé Jouanic,Alain Queffelec,Andrea D'Andrea,Rosario Valentini,Eleonora Minucci,Laura Carpentiero,Marcello Piperno +30 more
TL;DR: The diversity of tools and activities observed in these three sites shows that Western Europe was populated by adaptable hominins during this time, and questions concerning understudied migration pathways, such as the Sicilian route are raised.
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The timetable of evolution
Andrew H. Knoll,Martin A. Nowak +1 more
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TL;DR: McDougall et al. as mentioned in this paper derived intercalibration factors for McClure Mountain hornblende (MMhb-1), GHC-305 biotite, GA-1550, Taylor Creek sanidine (TCs), relative to Fish Canyon sanidine(ACs), were derived from 797 analyses involving 11 separate irradiations with well-constrained neutronfluence variations.
Journal ArticleDOI
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Klaudia F. Kuiper,Klaudia F. Kuiper,Alan L. Deino,Frederik J Hilgen,Wout Krijgsman,Paul R. Renne,Paul R. Renne,Jan R. Wijbrans +7 more
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