#lithic technology

Experimental archaeology: fundamentals of the manufacture and use of prehistoric stone artifacts

Introduction

The PGIAR is planning to organize a workshop on experimental archaeology: fundamentals of the manufacture and use of prehistoric stone artifacts on 29th -30th of December, 2018 from 9.00 am at the PGIAR labs/auditorium. The objective of this workshop is to understand stone tool making industry and their functions. Students will be provided with raw material, hammerstones, etc. and…

My summer of research in Armenia has been very trying this year. My dog passed away shortly after I arrived. Testing of a potential site for my dissertation was delayed. While working at my adviser’s site I fell into a 3 meter deep pit full of basalt blocks and fractured 3 of my lumbar vertebra, among other injuries, and had to be on dig house rest for two weeks. Upon semi-recovery I tested my potential site only to find that all artifacts were restricted to a deflated surface overlying far older paleosols. While surveying potential cave sites to use for my dissertation we found that access was restricted to most and those we could access were mostly void of sediment or were archaeological sterile. The cave pictured above was the only one that yielded artifacts on the slope. The interior of the cave has at least a meter of compacted sheep dung to dig through before I can know if there are intact sediments containing archaeological material. In the coming two weeks I will be testing the cave. In desperate need of a win this summer I hope that the site yields potential for future work. The surface finds, also pictured above, are fairly non-diagnostic, but some appear to be reminiscent of early Upper Paleolithic technology published on in other parts of the Southern Caucasus. My hope is that the site will yield UP and MP material, but any archaeological material in intact sediment would be a morale boost after 4 very difficult weeks. 

Socially it has been a great year in a country I have grown to love. Good crew new and old, and generally great company, minus an extraordinarily offensive researcher from another institution. 

https://sketchfab.com/models/69451aa6b51f4cb9ab634797011ff3d8 From the North Bank mammoth kills.

Jay T. Stock, Meghan K. Shirley, Lauren A. Sarringhaus, Tom G. Davies and Colin N. Shaw.

Previous studies have shown a strong correspondence between long bone bilateral asymmetry and reported handedness. Here, we compare the pattern of asymmetry in mechanical properties of the humerus and second metacarpal of Pan troglodytes, recent British industrial and medieval populations, and a broad range of human hunter–gatherers, to test whether technological variation corresponds with lateralization in bone function. The results suggest that P. troglodytes are left-lateralized in the morphology of the humerus and right-lateralized in the second metacarpal, while all human populations are predominantly right-biased in the morphology of these bones. Among human populations, the second metacarpals of 63% of hunter–gatherers show right-hand bias, a frequency similar to that found among chimpanzees. In contrast, the medieval and recent British populations show over 80% right-lateralization in the second metacarpal. The proportion of individuals displaying right-directional asymmetry is less than the expected 90% among all human groups. The variation observed suggests that the human pattern of right-biased asymmetry developed in a mosaic manner throughout human history, perhaps in response to technological development.