Climate seasonality and predictability during the Middle Stone Age and implications for technological diversification in early Homo sapiens DOI Creative Commons
Lucy Timbrell, J. Desmond Clark, Gonzalo Linares‐Matás

et al.

Research Square (Research Square), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Nov. 13, 2024

Abstract Regionalisation is considered to be a hallmark of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) compared Early Age. Yet what drove diversification around shared technological substrate that persisted across Africa for hundreds thousands years remains debated. Non-mutually exclusive hypotheses include region-specific styles in manufacture, social signalling, cultural drift between geographically isolated populations,, and diverse environmental adaptations, as well impacts unequal research histories intensities. We explore potential ecological bases behavioural diversity during MSA two well-studied areas: eastern northwestern Africa. utilise set standardised bioclimatic simulations, time series decomposition algorithm, determine nature extent regional differences terms productivity, seasonality predictability at sites through time. Our results highlight that, human occupations Africa, African are associated with colder, drier less productive environments, albeit wetter, more surrounding areas, higher temperature predictable climates millennia. then theoretically consider implications our these regions Late Pleistocene, such investment specific risk mitigation strategies dealing seasonally mobile resources northern localities, flexible toolkits tropical

Language: Английский

Lithic analysis in African archaeology: Advances and key themes DOI Creative Commons
Deborah I. Olszewski, Amanuel Beyin, Justin Pargeter

et al.

Archaeometry, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 15, 2025

Abstract Stone artifacts (lithics) preserve for extended periods; thus they are key evidence probing the evolution of human technological behaviors. Africa boasts oldest record stone artifacts, spanning 3.3 Ma, rare instances ethnographic tool‐making, and tool archives from diverse ecological settings, making it an anchor research on long‐term temporal spatial trends in evolution. This paper reviews application scientific methods studying African highlights several popular themes continent, including origins flaked technology, hunter‐gatherer mobility landscape use, variability, function, biocultural evolution, ancient cognition. We conclude by outlining some challenges to future lithic Africa.

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Quantifying Levallois: a 3D geometric morphometric approach to Nubian technology DOI Creative Commons
Emily Hallinan, João Cascalheira

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 17(4)

Published: March 24, 2025

Abstract Levallois technology, a hallmark of Middle Palaeolithic stone tool manufacture, involves sophisticated core reduction strategies that have major implications for understanding human cognitive and technological evolution. However, traditional methods analysing cores often fail to capture the nuanced variability in their morphology. This study introduces novel application three-dimensional geometric morphometrics (GM) quantify shape Nubian from Nile Valley Dhofar regions. By employing this technique, we analysed surfaces preferential scar shapes, identifying distinct regional patterns. Our results reveal significant inter-regional differences elongation surface convexity, highlighting importance shape-oriented, rather than metric-based, analysis prepared cores. new GM approach offers robust replicable investigating lithic holds potential broader applications research, enhancing our adaptations.

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Climate seasonality and predictability during the middle stone age and implications for technological diversification in early Homo sapiens DOI Creative Commons
Lucy Timbrell, J. Desmond Clark, Gonzalo Linares‐Matás

et al.

Scientific Reports, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 15(1)

Published: April 4, 2025

Regionalisation is considered to be a hallmark of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) compared Early Age. Yet what drove diversification around shared technological substrate that persisted across Africa for hundreds thousands years remains debated. Non-mutually exclusive hypotheses include region-specific styles in manufacture, social signalling, cultural drift between geographically isolated populations, and diverse environmental adaptations, as well impacts unequal research histories intensities. We explore potential ecological bases behavioural diversity during MSA two well-studied areas: eastern northwestern Africa. utilise set standardised bioclimatic simulations, time series decomposition algorithm, determine nature extent regional differences terms productivity, seasonality predictability at sites through time. Our results highlight that, human occupations Africa, African are associated with colder, drier less productive environments, albeit but wetter more surrounding areas, higher temperature predictable climates millennia. then theoretically consider implications our these regions Late Pleistocene, such investment specific risk mitigation strategies dealing seasonally mobile resources northern localities, toolkits tropical

Language: Английский

Citations

0
To What Extent Are Similarities in Lithic Artifacts Due to Convergence? DOI
Aylar Abdolahzadeh, Deborah I. Olszewski, Kathryn L. Ranhorn

et al.

Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 8(1)

Published: April 30, 2025

Language: Английский

Citations

0
Climate seasonality and predictability during the Middle Stone Age and implications for technological diversification in early Homo sapiens DOI Creative Commons
Lucy Timbrell, J. Desmond Clark, Gonzalo Linares‐Matás

et al.

Research Square (Research Square), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Nov. 13, 2024

Abstract Regionalisation is considered to be a hallmark of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) compared Early Age. Yet what drove diversification around shared technological substrate that persisted across Africa for hundreds thousands years remains debated. Non-mutually exclusive hypotheses include region-specific styles in manufacture, social signalling, cultural drift between geographically isolated populations,, and diverse environmental adaptations, as well impacts unequal research histories intensities. We explore potential ecological bases behavioural diversity during MSA two well-studied areas: eastern northwestern Africa. utilise set standardised bioclimatic simulations, time series decomposition algorithm, determine nature extent regional differences terms productivity, seasonality predictability at sites through time. Our results highlight that, human occupations Africa, African are associated with colder, drier less productive environments, albeit wetter, more surrounding areas, higher temperature predictable climates millennia. then theoretically consider implications our these regions Late Pleistocene, such investment specific risk mitigation strategies dealing seasonally mobile resources northern localities, flexible toolkits tropical

Language: Английский

Citations

1