Showing papers on "Oldowan published in 2017"

Hominid butchers and biting crocodiles in the African Plio–Pleistocene

Abstract: Zooarchaeologists have long relied on linear traces and pits found on the surfaces of ancient bones to infer ancient hominid behaviors such as slicing, chopping, and percussive actions during butchery of mammal carcasses. However, such claims about Plio-Pleistocene hominids rely mostly on very small assemblages of bony remains. Furthermore, recent experiments on trampling animals and biting crocodiles have shown each to be capable of producing mimics of such marks. This equifinality-the creation of similar products by different processes-makes deciphering early archaeological bone assemblages difficult. Bone modifications among Ethiopian Plio-Pleistocene hominid and faunal remains at Asa Issie, Maka, Hadar, and Bouri were reassessed in light of these findings. The results show that crocodiles were important modifiers of these bone assemblages. The relative roles of hominids, mammalian carnivores, and crocodiles in the formation of Oldowan zooarchaeological assemblages will only be accurately revealed by better bounding equifinality. Critical analysis within a consilience-based approach is identified as the pathway forward. More experimental studies and increased archaeological fieldwork aimed at generating adequate samples are now required.

Diversity and significance of core preparation in the Developed Oldowan technology: reconstructing the flaking processes at SHK and BK (Middle‐Upper Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania)

Abstract: Core preparation has been documented in Developed Oldowan assemblages dated between 1.5–1.3 Ma. However, its correct identification and significance is a matter of debate. In order to shed light on this issue, this paper attempts to reconstruct the flake production processes of the lithic assemblages currently recovered in SHK and BK at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania). The methodological approach applied for the study of these two classical Developed Oldowan sites is based on the analysis and classification of flaking cores through detailed diacritical and technological descriptions, regardless of aprioristic morphological considerations. The flake production processes identified in both assemblages exhibit great technological homogeneity. The most remarkable difference between them is linked with divergences in flake size production. Core rotation and elongation of the perimeter of the flaked surface were the main technical actions implemented to manage core reduction, and seem to be related to reduction intensity. Core preparation, specifically striking platform preparation, was also applied, but to a minor extent, and was linked with a more effective management of blank reduction. It was not carried out through rigid technical and geometric schemes, and the products obtained were not predetermined. Nevertheless, its mere presence in Developed Oldowan sites is very suggestive, as it confirms a strong relationship between the Developed Oldowan and early Acheulean assemblages.

The lithic assemblages of Donggutuo, Nihewan basin: Knapping skills of early pleistocene hominins in North China.

Abstract: Donggutuo (DGT) is one of the richest archaeological localities in the Nihewan Basin of North China, thereby providing key information about the technological behaviours of early hominins in eastern Asia Although DGT has been subject of multiple excavations and technological studies over the past several decades, few detailed studies on the lithic assemblages have been published Here we summarize and describe the DGT lithic assemblages, examining stone tool reduction methods and technological skills DGT dates to ca 11 Ma, close to the onset of the mid-Pleistocene climate transition (MPT), indicating that occupations at DGT coincided with increased environmental instability During this time interval, the DGT knappers began to apply innovative flaking methods, using free hand hard hammer percussion (FHHP) to manufacture pre-determined core shapes, small flakes and finely retouched tools, while occasionally using the bipolar technique, in contrast to the earlier and nearby Nihewan site of Xiaochangliang (XCL) Evidence for some degree of planning and predetermination in lithic reduction at DGT parallels technological developments in African Oldowan sites, suggesting that innovations in early industries may be situational, sometimes corresponding with adaptations to changes in environments and local conditions

An Early Stone Age in Western Africa? Spheroids and polyhedrons at Ounjougou, Mali.

Abstract: Ounjougou stratigraphic sequence (Bandiagara, Dogon Country, Mali) is the most complete record in Western Africa for the Middle Pleistocene. This paper focuses on the lithic industry unearthed in the lowest levels of the sequence. Despite the impossibility to fix the dating of those layers, the assemblage clearly presents Oldowan features. A strong erosive process, combined to the absence of Acheulean industry, strengthens the idea of a probable ancient age for the lithic industry. Morphometric, Technological and techno-functional approaches were performed to study sandstone polyhedrons, spheroids and bolas, abundant in the collection, along with a flake production on quartz and quartzite pebbles. This study demonstrates that polyhedrons, spheroids and bolas were shaped from independent chaines operatoires to realize specific tasks. The hypothesis of opportunistic knapping does not fit with these materials at Ounjougou. The evidence of shaping is highlighted by diacritic schemes showing that the flakes detached are not controlled for their usability, but for shaping the morphology of the spheroid. Apart from those polyhedrons and spheroids, flake production is also identified. While the shaping process is made on sandstone cobbles, sharp flakes are produced from quartz pebbles. This clear choice of different raw materials to produce shaped heavy tools in one hand and light flake tools in another hand strengthens the idea of a deliberate shaping of spheroid tools. The discussion compares this assemblage with other known assemblages like Ain Hanech and Olducai Gorge. Our point focus on the methodology used to study these specific artefacts, very different from one author to another. We stress out the fact that using the term ‘polyhedron’ is not accurate to define artefacts that can refer to shape tools or multifacial cores. We suggest to avoid using it and to focus on a technical identification to name the artefacts as cores or tools. The technological and techno-functional approaches are relevant to make this distinction. Then we propose some hypothesis about the use of spheroid and bolas and suggest experiments and traceological analyses in the future to confirm their functionality. Ounjougou lithic tool kit, composed of flake debitage, retouched flakes and shaped tools on pebbles, along with the spheroids and bolas component, gives an evidence of a diversified tool kit corresponding to the Oldowan Industrial Complex, and then represents the first Early Stone Age site in stratigraphy in Western Africa.

Science and Technology in Human Societies: From Tool Making to Technology

Abstract: The distinctive features of the genus Homo include tool making and tool using. Different human cultural modes or traditions occur over time throughout the Pleistocene, from the Lower and Middle to the Upper. At the same time, different human lineage taxa evolve. This chapter presents the relationships among hominin species and cultural modes, attempting to offer an evolutionary model of the stages that eventuated from early tool making to technology.

New methodological and technological approaches to the Oldowan and Acheulian archaeology of Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) – introduction

Abstract: For many years, Olduvai Gorge was home to Africa’s oldest flake-and-core (i.e. ‘Oldowan’) and Acheulian industries.Largely for this reason, theGorge’s numerous archaeological localities have played a critical historical role in the definition of these lithic technologies (Kleindienst 1962, 1973; L. Leakey 1936, 1951; M. D. Leakey 1971). While subsequent research has uncovered earlier examples of both Oldowan and Acheulian artefacts throughoutAfrica,Olduvai continues toyield significant insight into the livesandmindsof earlyhumanancestors, including numerous anthropogenic Oldowan faunas (this volume; Dom ınguez-Rodrigo et al. 2017), one of theoldestAcheulian records, containing theoldest,most symmetrical handaxe found to date (Diez-Mart ın et al. 2015), and early evidence for megafaunal exploitation (Dom ınguez-Rodrigo et al. 2014a, b; Organista et al. 2015). For these reasons, Olduvai’s Oldowan and Acheulian archaeological records keep providing exceptional windows into the lives and minds of early human ancestors. The number, extent and spatial resolution of the excavations in Beds I and II at Olduvai now enable detailed questions to be asked about site formation and hominin behaviour from both interand intra-site perspectives. Although some have argued that Olduvai Bed I and II sites were heavily impacted by fluvial postdepositional processes (e.g., de la Torre et al. 2017), such claims are geoarchaeologically naive and taphonomically unsupported.This volume highlights the use of new analytical approaches to the documentation of the creation and use of Oldowan and Acheulean stone tools and the spatial distribution of archaeological materials. The use of these methods emphasizes and provides insights into the complexities of Oldowan and Acheulian cultures.Ultimately, the papers in this volume reveal novel interpretations of the behaviours of Oldowan andAcheulianhominins livingwithin theOlduvaiBasinduringBed I and II times. Previous work by The Olduvai Paleoanthropology and Paleoecology Project (TOPPP) emphasized the palaeoecological context of the most well-known Bed I and Bed II sites (special volumes of Quaternary Research (2010) and Quaternary International (2014)). The present volume works within this palaeoecological framework to focus on site-specific patterns of hominin behaviour. In doing so, the papers analyse the functional association of stone tools and fossil bones, the variability and technological complexities of the lithic assemblages, andprovide a comparative framework to understand the differences and similarities identified in the Oldowan and Acheulian records. Before we fully synthesize the importance of these studies, it is important to stress that what is understood as ‘Oldowan’ (more specifically, the ‘Developed Oldowan’ as applied to the Bed II archaeological record) and ‘Acheulian’ is a contested ground.We, thus, offer a critical review both of how these industrial complexes are currently defined and how they differ from each other typologically (the prime focus of most comparative analyses) and beyond.