Oldowan Technology Amid Shifting Environments ∼2.03–1.83 Million Years Ago

Cueva-Temprana, Arturo; Lombao, Diego; Soto, María; Itambu, Makarius; Bushozi, Pastory; Boivin, Nicole; Petraglia, Michael D.; Mercader, Julio

doi:10.3389/fevo.2022.788101

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 71 publications

(89 reference statements)

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“…They are present in archaeological assemblages from the Oldowan onwards, and are among the oldest manufactured stone items. The earliest occurrences were discovered in East and North Africa, dated at 2.0–1.9 Ma at Ewass Oldupa, Tanzania [ 1 ]. These rounded morphologies lasted for nearly two million years as they are found until the Neolithic (e.g., [ 2 ]) and even historical periods (e.g., [ 3 ]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeolithic polyhedrons, spheroids and bolas over time and space

et al. 2022

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Polyhedrons, spheroids and bolas (PSBs) are present in lithic series from the Lower Palaeolithic onwards and are found in several regions of the world. Nevertheless, very little is known about them. We propose here to summarise, illustrate and discuss the current state of our knowledge about these artefacts. Based on the available data in the literature and on our observations of several collections, we set up a database comprising 169 Palaeolithic assemblages with PSBs. Thanks to the statistical analysis of these data, we aim to highlight potential relationships between PSB characteristics (e.g., quantity, raw material) and assemblage composition and context, according to regions and chrono-cultural attributions. We also aim to discuss the question of artefacts from possible independent local histories, especially in Northwest Europe, where these objects are scarce. Our study concludes that hard stones (stones with high resistance to a physical constraint) available locally were generally selected to produce PSBs. Soft sedimentary rocks are suitable for their manufacture, and were selected too, whereas siliceous materials were left aside. We hypothesise that the scarcity of PSBs in Northwest Europe could result from a combination of cultural and environmental factors: it could be part of a regional tradition, influenced by the abundance of siliceous materials in the environment. In this region where the lithic production is widely made of flint, even though other materials were available, objects made from hard stones are scarce, resulting in a toolkit with only rare PSBs and cleavers. Was flint too brittle for the functions of PSBs? Raw materials of PSBs are often similar to those of heavy-duty tools in assemblages, which could provide other clues about their functions (e.g., tasks requiring a resistance to shocks). It is possible that their raw materials partly conditioned their final shape. PSBs can comprise a wide variety of artefacts, that for some could have change of status (e.g., from cores to percussive tools), diffused, adapted but also reinvented over two million years.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeolithic polyhedrons, spheroids and bolas over time and space

et al. 2022

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“…Thus, ecological perspectives tend to focus exclusively on the quantification of artefact variability, paying little attention to the specific knapping methods, whereas socio-cognitive frameworks tend to prefer in-depth descriptions of the core reduction strategies (de la Torre, 2004Torre, , 2009Delagnes & Roche, 2005;Roche et al, 1999;Texier, 1995). However, few have attempted to integrate quantitative and qualitative perspectives (but see Cueva-Temprana et al, 2022;Potts, 1991;Reeves et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Technological Behaviours of Homo antecessor: Core Management and Reduction Intensity at Gran Dolina-TD6.2 (Atapuerca, Spain)

Lombao

Rabuñal

Morales

et al. 2022

J Archaeol Method Theory

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The ability of early hominins to overcome the constraints imposed by the characteristics of raw materials used for stone tool production is a key topic on the discussion about the evolution of hominin cognitive capabilities and technical behaviours. Thus, technological variability has been the centrepiece on this debate. However, the variability of lithic assemblages cannot be correctly interpreted without understanding site occupational models and function and considering that individual tools represent specific discard moments in a continuous reduction process. In Europe, the earliest technological record is represented by the scarce and scattered Mode 1 technologies, often deriving from occasional occupations or restricted activity areas yielding unrepresentative assemblages. In this paper, we approach the technological behaviours exhibited by Lower Palaeolithic hominins from the subunit TD6.2 of the Gran Dolina site (Atapuerca, Burgos) by including the perspective of reduction intensity studies on the analysis of technological variability. Gran Dolina TD6.2 is a unique and extremely significant archaeological context, as it represents the oldest multi-layered unit of domestic hominin occupations in the Early Pleistocene of Europe. We use the Volumetric Reconstruction Method (VRM) to estimate the original volume of the blanks and quantify the reduction intensity of each core individually to characterise the reduction distribution patterns using Weibull probability distribution functions. Our results suggest differential raw material management in terms of reduction intensity, according to the characteristics of each lithology. This could reflect a solid understanding of raw material qualities and a certain degree of planning. Altogether, the continuity between knapping strategies through reduction denotes constant adaptation to raw material constraints as well as particular knapping conditions, rather than specific compartmentalised mental schemes. In conclusion, Homo antecessor toolmakers would have been situational knappers whose technological behaviour would be highly adaptive. This research constitutes the first reduction approach for the European Early Pleistocene assemblages that will lead to a referential framework for other European Early Pleistocene sites.

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“…During the Oldowan, there is a considerable and lengthy stasis in both artifacts and technical know-how (Cueva-Temprana et al, 2022;Foley & Lahr, 2003;Isaac, 1972Isaac, , 1984Jelinek, 1977;Semaw et al, 2003;Tennie et al, 2016Tennie et al, , 2017. Thisand similar stases in the recordhas been suggested to have resulted from high fidelity copying and conformity bias (Lycett & Gowlett, 2008;Lycett et al, 2015;Morgan et al, 2015;Schillinger et al, 2014), but these mechanisms are not appropriate explanations for the stasis, as copying should hypothetically lead to a radiation of forms just from copying error alone (Eerkens & Lipo, 2005) and they would also require levels of copying fidelity and conformity beyond what is exhibited by humans today (see Foley & Lahr, 2003).…”

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confidence: 99%