week 10 Lecture Notes Unit 10.1(con't) and Unit 11.1(full)
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9 Nov 2011
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These notes are a continuation of the section 10.1 notes posted the week before.
Section 11.1 begins on page 3.
Developed out of handaxe technology?
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Earliest forms in Africa c.400k
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Appears in Europe c.400k
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Levallois technology (most famous form of prepared core)
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Provide a certain level of standardization in flake products
•
Can provide products with specific shapes: long narrow blades, triangular
points
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Produce flakes with increased edge length to raw material volume
(economical of raw material)
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Are versatile
—
one can modify the technique to suit end
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product needs or
raw material shapes
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Advantages:
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Involves delayed returns and so represents forethought and planning (but so did
Acheulian handaxes much earlier)
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Mode 3: Prepared core technology (400k
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40k years ago)
Long, narrow flakes are considered as "blades"
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more cutting edge per raw material volume
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easier to modify into specific shapes
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much more like a modern knife
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Advantages:
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Associated with the late stone age in Africa, really common 40,000 years ago
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Mode 4: Blade technology (40k
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12k years ago)
Very small blades
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"microliths" are placed onto shaft with resin, this is called a
"composite tool"
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Increased cutting edge to raw material volume
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If any pieces break off the composite tool, it can be replaced with another
one
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Advantages
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Mesolithic period, starting about 10
-
12kya
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Mode 5: Microlithtechnology (12k
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)
wood
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bark
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grass
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hide
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hair
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glues/resins
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Bone, ivory, antler
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Common raw materials include:
Containers and cordage are two important components.
Clothing in colder regions? (hides mostly)
Among modern hunter
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gatherers
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Rare use of bone for making tools
Little evidence for preparation of animal hides
No evidence of basketry
Prior to 40,000 years ago
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Non
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Lithic material culture during the Palaeolithic
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10.1 Palaeolithic Material Culture
November-01-11
4:33 PM
Unit 10
-
Palaeolithic Material Culture Page 1
No evidence of basketry
No evidence of cordage
Some evidence of glues/resins by 200kya, ex: tree sap and bitumin
Wood?
300,000 years old
4 wooden spears, each about 2m long
Remains of 20 horses with butchery marks
3 wooden tools with grooves cut in their ends (handles?) and a digging stick
Wooden tools from Schoningen, Germany
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Lehringen, Germany
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spear found with elephant remains 130kya
Clacton channel, England
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spear made of yew wood 200
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250 kya
Other very old wooden artificats
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Very rare prior to 40,000 years ago
Pre
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40,000
-
year
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old bone tools, very simple, crude shaping of the end of a bone;
found at Blombos Cave South Africa 75kya
Bone tools?
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Terra Amata, Nice, France
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400000
-
year
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old campsite with evidence of structures
(postholes)
La Grotte du Lazeret, France
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150,000
-
year
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old cave site with evidence of a structure
Site modification and structures?
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No evidence of when clothing appeared
Clothing
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Unit 10
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Palaeolithic Material Culture Page 2