Ancient humans possessed sophisticated knowledge of the properties of the stones they used to make tools.
Not only did hunter-gatherers of the time know how to make finely crafted stone tools, but they understood exactly which rocks would yield the best combinations of ease of shaping and wear resistance for the task at hand, said“If you want to make something out of something, you choose the right material for it,” Schmidt said. “Those processes were already in place in the Middle Stone Age in South Africa.
Rocks give archaeologists one of our only glimpses into culture in the Stone Age, a time when “modern humans start becoming really interesting,” Mackay said. in South Africa, which was inhabited by Stone Age humans for tens of thousands of years beginning about 130,000 years ago. Some samples were collected from the site itself, whereas others were taken from locations tens of kilometers away. The researchers compared their data on rock properties to existing stone tools from Diepkloof to learn more about how ancient humans selected rocks for toolmaking.
Fracture strength wasn’t the only factor important to ancient humans. How predictably a rock flakes and how strong the resulting tool would be also mattered. Looking at their data, Schmidt said they saw distinct patterns emerge at different points in time., who were making stone tools at the site around 71,000 years ago, seemed to prefer quartzite for their tools.
Showing that changes in the kinds of tools line up with the qualities of the rocks they were made from adds quantitative heft to hypotheses that humans were making nuanced decisions involving stone properties more than 60,000 years ago, Schmidt argued.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Not unique to humans but uniquely human: researchers identify factor involved in brain expansion in humansWhat makes us human? According to neurobiologists it is our neocortex. This outer layer of the brain is rich in neurons and lets us do abstract thinking, create art, and speak complex languages. An international team has identified a new factor that might have contributed to neocortex expansion in humans.
Read more »
Elephant hunting by early humans may explain proximity between extensive Paleolithic stone quarries and water sourcesArchaeologists from Tel Aviv University have uncovered the mystery surrounding extensive Paleolithic stone quarrying and tool-making sites: Why did Homo erectus repeatedly revisit the very same locations for hundreds of thousands of years? The answer lies in the migration routes of elephants, which they hunted and dismembered using flint tools...
Read more »
Stone Tools That are 1.4 Million Years Old Mark the Migration of Ancient Humans in EuropeStone tools at an archaeological site in Ukraine have been deemed the oldest known human-made artifacts in Europe, hinting at the path that our ancient ancestors traveled.
Read more »
Are We Living in the Age of Humans?Geologists and scientists discuss the possibility of defining the current era as 'The Age of Humans' or 'The Anthropocene'.
Read more »
Photos Show What Humans Have Done To The Planet In The Anthropocene AgeAnthropocene refers to the age of humans — the things we've done to Earth. Geologists just rejected a proposal to declare an official 'Anthropocene epoch.' But everyone agrees: Damage has been done.
Read more »
Mercy me: Photos show what humans have done to the planet in the Anthropocene ageAnthropocene refers to the age of humans — the things we've done to Earth. Geologists just rejected a proposal to declare an official 'Anthropocene epoch.' But everyone agrees: Damage has been done.
Read more »