What is the use of shaping a tang? Tool use and hafting of tanged tools in the Aterian of Northern Africa

Tomasso, Sonja; Rots, Veerle

doi:10.1007/s12520-016-0448-3

Cited by 23 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The presence of multiple tanged artefacts, both in excavation and from surface surveys, alongside the use of Levallois technologies fit neatly with expressions of Middle Palaeolithic assemblages from western South Asia (Blinkhorn et al, 2015), as well as elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent, such as Jwalapuram 22 (Clarkson et al, 2012), that have been directly linked with expanding populations of modern humans. Critically, functional studies in other regions have illustrated how the production of tangs on lithic artefacts relates to hafting practices (Tomasso and Rots, 2018). While to date no comparable studies have been conducted for Palaeolithic artefacts in South Asia, the presence of multiple tanged artefacts at Sandhav may offer some of the earliest indices for hafting practices in the region, and is comparable to tanged artefacts reported from Late Pleistocene Middle Palaeolithic sites including Patne, Katoati, Jwalapuram, the Sagileru Valley, and Chamu (Blinkhorn 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

The first directly dated evidence for Palaeolithic occupation on the Indian coast at Sandhav, Kachchh

Blinkhorn

Ajithprasad

Mukherjee

et al. 2019

Quaternary Science Reviews

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South Asia has a rich Palaeolithic heritage, and chronological resolution for this record has substantially improved over the past decade as a result of focused, interdisciplinary research at a number of key sites. Expanding the spatial diversity of dated Palaeolithic sites in South Asia grows increasingly important to examine how patterns of change through time vary within and between the region's diverse habitats. Critically, alternate models of modern human dispersals into South Asia highlight the significance of either coastal or continental routes of dispersal, but currently no coastal Palaeolithic sites directly dating to the timeframe of human expansions are known. Our previous research in Kachchh was the first study to clearly identify the presence of Palaeolithic sites in Late Pleistocene landscapes in close proximity to the Indian Ocean coastline. Here, we present the first results of surface survey and test excavation at the site of Sandhav (Kachchh, India), approximately 25km from the modern shoreline. We characterise the geomorphology of the landscape, highlighting multiple phases of alluvial aggradation and post-depositional carbonate formation, associated with Palaeolithic artefacts. To date, excavations have tested the uppermost Pleistocene deposit, yielding a small collection of fresh Middle Palaeolithic artefacts associated with a luminescence age dating to the first half of MIS 5 (~114 ka), which provides a minimum age for Late Acheulean artefacts in underlying units. We discuss our findings in the context of debates surrounding the timing, lithic technologies, and ecologies associated with the expansions of modern humans into South Asia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

The first directly dated evidence for Palaeolithic occupation on the Indian coast at Sandhav, Kachchh

Blinkhorn

Ajithprasad

Mukherjee

et al. 2019

Quaternary Science Reviews

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“…Many ideas on the development of composite tool technologies are based on microscopic use-wear, macrofractures (6, 45), and the shape of tools (e.g., the presence of tangs, basal thinning). Yet the functional significance of such morphological features is not always clear (46). The exact hafting configurations and functioning of hafted tools are also debated (47,48), while variability in methods of hafting is almost completely unexplored (22,27,45,49).…”

Section: Procedural Complexity and Hafting Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Middle Paleolithic complex technology and a Neandertal tar-backed tool from the Dutch North Sea

Niekus¹,

Kozowyk

Langejans

et al. 2019

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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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.

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“…Hence, there is growing evidence for hafted projectiles in South Africa of similar ages to other areas, such as Northern Africa [ 83 , 84 ] and the Near East [ 85 ]. Functional evidence for earlier hafted projectiles has been documented for Europe (e.g., [ 86 ]), even though one has to acknowledge the low frequency of identified projectiles per site in comparison to the tool frequency and assemblage size.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pressure flaking to serrate bifacial points for the hunt during the MIS5 at Sibudu Cave (South Africa)

et al. 2017

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Projectile technology is considered to appear early in the southern African Middle Stone Age (MSA) and the rich and high resolution MSA sequence of Sibudu Cave in KwaZulu-Natal has provided many new insights about the use and hafting of various projectile forms. We present the results of a functional and technological analysis on a series of unpublished serrated bifacial points recently recovered from the basal deposits of Sibudu Cave. These serrated tools, which only find equivalents in the neighbouring site of Umhlatuzana, precede the Still Bay techno-complex and are older than 77 ka BP. Independent residue and use-wear analyses were performed in a phased procedure involving two separate analysts, which allowed the engagement between two separate lines of functional evidence. Thanks to the excellent preservation at Sibudu Cave, a wide range of animal, plant and mineral residues were observed in direct relation with diagnostic wear patterns. The combination of technological, wear and residue evidence allowed us to confirm that the serration was manufactured with bone compressors and that the serrated points were mounted with a composite adhesive as the tips of projectiles used in hunting activities. The suite of technological and functional data pushes back the evidence for the use of pressure flaking during the MSA and highlights the diversity of the technical innovations adopted by southern African MSA populations. We suggest the serrated points from the stratigraphic units Adam to Darya of Sibudu illustrate one important technological adaptation of the southern African MSA and provide another example of the variability of MSA bifacial technologies.

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What is the use of shaping a tang? Tool use and hafting of tanged tools in the Aterian of Northern Africa

Cited by 23 publications

References 38 publications

The first directly dated evidence for Palaeolithic occupation on the Indian coast at Sandhav, Kachchh

The first directly dated evidence for Palaeolithic occupation on the Indian coast at Sandhav, Kachchh

Middle Paleolithic complex technology and a Neandertal tar-backed tool from the Dutch North Sea

Pressure flaking to serrate bifacial points for the hunt during the MIS5 at Sibudu Cave (South Africa)

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