Investigation of mechanical residential or commercial properties of rocks suggested that paleolithic human beings altered their choice of basic material to fit their stone tool morphologies and production methods. Credit: Eiki Suga (pictures), Reiko Matsushita (illustration and design).
A team from the Nagoya University Museum and Graduate School of Environmental Studies in Japan has actually shed light on the differing physical homes of rocks used by early people in the Paleolithic era. This finding suggests that early human beings possessed the technical competence to determine the most ideal rocks for their tools.
As Homo sapiens moved from Africa to Eurasia, they utilized stone tools made of rocks, such as obsidian and flint, to cut, slice, and craft varied weapons. Since of the substantial function they played in their culture, comprehending how early human beings made stone tools is essential to archaeologists..
Focused Study in Southern Jordan.
Given that the geographical expansion of Homo sapiens in Eurasia began in the Middle East, archaeologists Eiki Suga and Seiji Kadowaki from Nagoya University concentrated on the prehistoric sites belonging to three sequential durations in the Jebel Qalkha area, southern Jordan. The team examined flint blemishes in the outcrops that were exploited during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic (70,000 to 30,000 years ago)..
This finding suggests that early human beings possessed the technical proficiency to identify the most ideal rocks for their tools. This would have made the fine-grained flint more attractive in producing little stone tools.” This research study illustrates that the Paleolithic human beings altered their choice of raw material to match their stone tool morphologies and production strategies,” he stated. “We believe that these ancient people had a sensory understanding of the attributes of the rocks and deliberately selected the stone product to be used according to the type and production technique of the desired stone tools. “If we desire to know what occurred that enabled Homo sapiens to prosper, we need to study cultural remains, such as stone tools, excavated from historical websites.
They believe Paleolithic people comprehended which rocks were suitable for making tools and, for that reason, purposefully looked for them. According to their hypothesis, Paleolithic people purposefully looked for flint that was clear and smooth, as it might be quickly broken off the cliff and shaped into sharp edges..
An archaeologist, Eiki Suga, revealing fine-grained flint (left) and middle-grained flint (right). Credit: Megumi Maruyama.
The group used a Schmidt Hammer and a Rockwell Hardness Device to test the mechanical homes of the rocks. The Schmidt Hammer determines the elastic habits of a material after the hammer strikes it, which tells researchers its rebound hardness. The Rockwell firmness gadget presses a diamond indenter on the rock surface to check its strength..
In the beginning, as Suga and Kadowaki anticipated, fine-grained flint was discovered to need less force to fracture than medium-grained flint. This would have made the fine-grained flint more attractive in producing small stone tools. Lots of stone tools from the Early Upper Paleolithic (40,000 to 30,000 years ago) include fine-grained flint..
Reviewing Assumptions and Understanding Choices.
An earlier research study by the very same team discovered that during the Late Middle Paleolithic and the Initial Upper Paleolithic (70,000 to 40,000 years ago), medium-grained flint was more commonly used in stone tools than fine-grained flint. But if fine-grained flint was so easy to utilize, why did our forefathers not make all their tools from it?.
On further examination, the scientists discovered that much of the fine-grained flint in the location experienced abundant internal fractures triggered by geological activities, which would have made it unsuitable for big stone tools, such as Levallois items and robust blades.
The geographic expansion of Homo sapiens into Eurasia began in the Middle East. The research study team concentrated on ancient websites and raw product sources (outcrops) in the Jebel Qalkha area, southern Jordan (picture). Credit: Professor Seiji Kadowaki.
It appears that Paleolithic humans selected medium-grained flint for big tools, even though it was a hard product to customize into tools, as it was more likely to last longer. This provides a remarkable insight into our forefathers behavior, as they picked flint based on many factors aside from simply how easy it was to fracture and could determine the most appropriate rock to utilize to make stone tools..
Suga is passionate about the findings, which suggest the complexity of our ancestors behavior.
” This study highlights that the Paleolithic human beings changed their option of raw product to suit their stone tool morphologies and production techniques,” he stated. “We believe that these prehistoric human beings had a sensory understanding of the characteristics of the rocks and purposefully picked the stone material to be used according to the kind and production technique of the wanted stone tools.
” There are still many unanswered questions about why extant humans broadened their circulation 50,000 to 40,000 years earlier. Recently, ancient DNA analysis revealed that modern-day human beings (Homo sapiens) interbred and engaged with Neandertals and Denisovans. Ancient DNA can not inform us about the actual historic events and how they took place,” Suga said. “If we wish to know what occurred that enabled Homo sapiens to grow, we need to study cultural remains, such as stone tools, excavated from historical sites. This sort of resource use is a crucial record for elucidating the advancement of human technological behavior, ecological adjustment, and the procedure of population development at that time.”.
Referral: “Explaining the Increase in “High-quality Chert” in the Early Upper Paleolithic Artifacts in Southern Jordan: Quantitative Examination of Chert Mechanical Properties and Fracture Predictability” by Eiki Suga, Kazuhiro Tsukada, Oday Tarawneh, Sate Massadeh and Seiji Kadowaki, 8 November 2023, Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology.DOI: 10.1007/ s41982-023-00164-w.
