A New Approach to Quantifying Raw Material Selectivity in the African Acheulean: Perspectives from Angola and South Africa
| Autor: | Matt G. Lotter, Maria Helena Benjamim, Isis Mesfin |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique (HNHP), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Cultural Studies
010506 paleontology Archeology History [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory 060102 archaeology Visual Arts and Performing Arts 06 humanities and the arts 15. Life on land Raw material 01 natural sciences Archaeology Geography 0601 history and archaeology African studies Acheulean 0105 earth and related environmental sciences |
| Zdroj: | Journal of African archaeology Journal of African archaeology, Frankfurt a. Main : Africa-Magna-Verl, 2021, pp.1-30. ⟨10.1163/21915784-20210013⟩ |
| ISSN: | 2191-5784 1612-1651 |
| DOI: | 10.1163/21915784-20210013 |
| Popis: | In southern Africa, the use of gravel outcrops has been recorded at a range of Earlier Stone Age sites, and this raises questions about the diversity of raw material sourcing practices adopted by hominins. To assess the existence of sourcing strategies, this study details a new morphometric analysis method that investigates the influence of pebble and cobble shape at two Acheulean case-study sites: Dungo IV (Benguela Province, Angola) and Penhill Farm (Eastern Cape Province, South Africa). Since these assemblages present frequent pebble and cobble artefacts, we investigate these to identify raw material blank properties to then establish whether these properties were intentionally selected for. To do so, we analyse each archaeological sample separately via a technological and morphometrical approach and then compare them with geological samples obtained during fieldwork survey. Overall, these two case studies provide some illustration of variable selection strategies within the southern African coastal plain. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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