Spatio-temporal variation in late Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal behaviour: British bout coupé handaxes as a case study

Ruebens, Karen; Sykes, Rebecca Wragg

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.04.037

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 112 publications

(134 reference statements)

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“…Difficulties in handling triangular tools can be associated with the geometrical complexity of the object, which does not match a regular hand‐tool anatomical correspondence. In fact, triangular handaxes are rare in Lower Palaeolithic, while they are found more frequently during Middle Palaeolithic record (Ruebens & Wragg Sykes, 2016; Soressi, 2002), when fingers become more involved in grasping than the whole hand.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Not a matter of shape: The influence of tool characteristics on electrodermal activity in response to haptic exploration of Lower Palaeolithic tools

et al. 2021

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Objectives Haptics involves somatosensory perception through the skin surface and dynamic touch based on the proprioceptive response of the whole body. Handling Palaeolithic stone tools influences the arousal and attentional engagement, which can be detected and measured through electrodermal activity. Although tool shape has generally been studied to consider tool functions or tool making, it is also a major factor in tool sensing and haptic perception. The purpose of this survey is to analyze whether the electrodermal reactions are influenced by stone tool morphology. Methods We first quantify the morphological variability of 72 stone tools through geometric morphometrics. Then, 12 stone tools from the previous sample were randomly selected to perform the electrodermal analysis in a sample of 46 right‐handed adults. Results Elongation is the main factor involved in Lower Palaeolithic shape variation, followed by the position of the maximum thickness. Attention and manipulation time are mainly influenced by tool size, while arousal mostly correlates with tool weight. Electrodermal activity is apparently not influenced by the overall tool shape. Tool size, weight, and base morphology are the variables that mainly trigger an electrodermal reaction. Conclusions Electrophysiological reaction is more sensitive to specific physical features of the tool than to its general outline. These features are not particularly different in worked pebbles and handaxes in terms of grasping, but underwent remarkable changes in other technological traditions. That changes associated with behavioral performances can be employed in cognitive archaeology to investigate the relationships between tool sensing and tool use.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Not a matter of shape: The influence of tool characteristics on electrodermal activity in response to haptic exploration of Lower Palaeolithic tools

et al. 2021

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“…For example, the sparsity of lithic hunting implements in western Europe (Villa et al 2009;Smith et al 2020), the reoccurrence of single species hunting (Farizy et al 1994;Delpech 1996;Gaudzinski and Roebroeks 2000;White et al 2016) or the presence of region-specific lithic characteristics within a restricted time slice (e.g. expedient Eemian assemblages (Valoch 1984;Pop 2014Pop , 2015, regional bifacial tool variability during MIS-3 (Ruebens 2013;Ruebens and Wragg Sykes 2016)). These trends are usually defined on either lithic or faunal characteristics and ones that incorporate both are few and require further contextualisation, especially also in terms of their chronological resolution (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Connecting Middle Palaeolithic Datasets: the Interplay of Zooarchaeological and Lithic Data for Unravelling Neanderthal Behaviour

et al. 2020

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The ongoing refinement of archaeological excavation and recording methods over the last decades has led to a significant increase in quantitative Middle Palaeolithic datasets that provide a record of past Neanderthal behaviour. Stone tools and butchered animal remains are the two main categories of Middle Palaeolithic archaeological remains and both provide distinctive insights into site formation and Neanderthal behaviour. However, the integration of these quantitative lithic and zooarchaeological datasets is key for achieving a full understanding of both site-specific and broader-scale patterns of Middle Palaeolithic subsistence. To explore novel ways to enhance the incorporation of these datasets, we organised a session at the 82nd annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Vancouver. An underlying theme was the problem of linking lithic and faunal variability. Are variations in subsistence strategies reflected by changes in toolmaking decisions? This paper will briefly introduce the possible ways these Middle Palaeolithic datasets can be integrated, illustrated with the papers included in this special volume, and discuss its potential for understanding the variability and interconnectedness of Neanderthal technologies and subsistence strategies.

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“…Neanderthals occupied Europe and Asia from around 300,000 to 30,000 BP, and naturally their cultures (Ruebens and Wragg Sykes 2016) and subsistence practices (Weyrich et al 2017) showed regional and chronological variation. Nonetheless, pathology seems to be common across time and space and throughout the known sample of Neanderthal fossils (Trinkaus and Zimmerman 1982;Pettitt 2000).…”

Section: Re-assessing Interpretations Of Healthcare Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calculated or caring? Neanderthal healthcare in social context

et al. 2018

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Explanations for patterns of healed trauma in Neanderthals have been a matter of debate for several decades. Despite widespread evidence for recovery from injuries or survival despite impairments, apparent evidence for healthcare is given limited attention. Moreover, interpretations of Neanderthals' approach to injury and suffering sometimes assume a calculated or indifferent attitude to others. Here the authors review evidence for Neanderthal healthcare, drawing on a bioarchaeology of care approach and relating healthcare to other realms of Neanderthal social life. The authors argue that Neanderthal medical treatment and healthcare was widespread and part of a social context of strong pro-social bonds which was not distinctively different from healthcare seen in later contexts. They suggest that the time has come to accept Neanderthal healthcare as a compassionate and knowledgeable response to injury and illness, and to turn to other questions, such as cultural variation or the wider significance of healthcare in an evolutionary context.

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Spatio-temporal variation in late Middle Palaeolithic Neanderthal behaviour: British bout coupé handaxes as a case study

Cited by 17 publications

References 112 publications

Not a matter of shape: The influence of tool characteristics on electrodermal activity in response to haptic exploration of Lower Palaeolithic tools

Not a matter of shape: The influence of tool characteristics on electrodermal activity in response to haptic exploration of Lower Palaeolithic tools

Connecting Middle Palaeolithic Datasets: the Interplay of Zooarchaeological and Lithic Data for Unravelling Neanderthal Behaviour

Calculated or caring? Neanderthal healthcare in social context

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