Loading...
2 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
- The archaeological visibility of chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) nut-crackingPublication . Proffitt, Tomos; Pacome, Serge Soiret; Reeves, Jonathan S.; Wittig, Roman M.; Luncz, Lydia V.The earliest evidence for complex tool use in the archaeological record dates to 3.3 Ma. While wooden tools may have been used by our earliest ancestors, the evidence is absent due to poor preservation. However, insights into possible early hominin wooden tool use can be gained from observing the tool-use practices of our closest living relatives, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). By using stone hammers used to crack various nuts, chimpanzees leave a durable material signature comprised of formal tools and associated diagnostic fragments. While the archaeological evidence of chimpanzee wooden tool use is temporary, the combination of stone hammers and wooden anvils can create a more enduring lithic record. This study explores the lithic assemblages associated with wooden and stone anvil use at nut-cracking sites in Ta & iuml; National Park, C & ocirc;te d'Ivoire, using technological and use-wear analyses. Our results indicate clear differences in density, fracture patterns, and use-wear in the lithic records between wooden anvil and stone anvil sites. New archaeological excavations at six chimpanzee nut-cracking sites reveal that the anvils' material directly influences the visibility of nut-cracking evidence in the archaeological record. By examining the nature of the lithic signatures associated with wooden anvil and stone anvil use by chimpanzees, we can formulate hypotheses about the probability of such behaviors being preserved and identifiable in the Plio-Pleistocene hominin archaeological record. The variability in material signatures from nut-cracking on different anvils suggests that stone anvils leave a clear archaeological record. Evidence for wooden anvil use is likely underrepresented due to the more ephemeral nature of the associated percussive damage and material signature. It may, however, still be possible, albeit challenging, to identify wooden anvil use in the archaeological record.
- Flake production: a universal by-product of primate stone percussionPublication . Proffitt, Tomos; Medeiros, Paula de Sousa; Martins, Waldney Pereira; Luncz, Lydia. V.The evolution of stone tool technology marks a significant milestone in hominin devel-opment, enabling early humans to manipulate their environments. The oldest known evidence, dating to 3.3 Ma, indicates a combination of percussive and flake production activities. Studying the archaeological signature of percussive stone tool use in living primate provides a potential analog to the origin of stone flake technology in the hom-inin lineage. Here, we present a yellow- breasted capuchin (Sapajus xanthosternos) stone tool assemblage from Fazenda Matos, Brazil, to explore the variability of the material signatures associated with percussive tool use. Our analysis of this record demonstrates many archaeological features previously associated with intentional flake production. This includes hammerstones with substantial percussive damage and a range of flaked and detached pieces. Comparative analyses with other flaked primate and hominin assemblages reveals that, unintentional flake production is a universal component of stone hammer and anvil percussive behaviors, suggesting that similar behaviors by early hominins may have led to stone flake technology and that this record may have been highly variable. To fully understand the origins of hominin stone technology, a broad spectrum of material records including both hominin and primate must be considered.