. Flashcards
formanum magnum
more forward (small homo)
bipedalism in hominin lineage is an example of
mosaic evolution
primates use tools to
obtain food
orangutans and chimpanzees use tools, ____ not really
gorillas
durable enough to be preserved in archaeological record
modified stone tools
earliest and identifiable tools
lomekwian (Northwestern Kenyan 3.3Ma)
lomekwian assemblage includes
cores, flakes, hammer stones, anvils
lomekwian tools crafted by being
struck against or struck with
hard hammer percussion
hammer stone knocks flake off a core
Lomekwian tools were made either by “block on block” percussion (left), where
the core is struck against a stationary object (the “anvil”),
“bipolar” percussion (right), where
the core is placed on an anvil and struck with a hammerstone. (lomekwian)
Oldowan tools were primarily made using
“hard hammer percussion,” where a hammerstone is used to knock flakes off a core.
The hard hammer percussion technique
the core is held in one hand and struck by the hammerstone in the other hand, requires greater manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and understanding of the fracture properties of different types of stone than the techniques employed in the manufacture of the earlier Lomekwian tools.
The earliest Acheulean tools are from a site in Ethiopia dated to about
1.75 Ma, and become the dominant stone tool technology at hominin sites until around 200 ka.
Acheulean tools are only found in association with
large Homo species.
The defining feature of the Acheulean is the introduction of
relatively large, bifacial tools that have been called picks, cleavers, and handaxes
Acheulean (1.75 Ma – 200 ka)
Symmetrical “handaxes”
Hard-hammer and soft-hammer percussion
Oldowan (2.6 – 1.6 Ma)
Large, asymmetrical flakes and cores
Hard-hammer percussion
Lomekwian (3.3 Ma)
Very large and heavy
Acheulean tools were used to
butcher animals, break open bones, scrape hides, and might have had other uses as well, such as chopping or pounding tubers.
Evidence of Acheulean tool use is present on the
fossilized bones of a broad range of animals, up to the size of elephants!
