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StoneTool MAKERS
ANTH 204

February 29, 2012

Outline
Early stone tool technology Complex foraging strategies in modern humans Impact of complex foraging on human life history Complex foraging among Oldowan peoples?

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All early hominins probably made tools

Chimpanzees make and use a variety of tools: twigs to probe termite mounds leaves to sponge up water rocks to hammer open nuts sticks as weapons etc.

Early hominins likely used tools too, but left no trace in archaeological record

Oldowan
An important adaptive shift in behavior occurred ~ 2.5 Mya Simple stone tools appear Cores round stones Flakes removed from cores to produce a sharp edge Cores and flakes make up the Oldowan tool industry

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Oldowan in Olduvai Gorge

The Oldowan tool industry is named after discovery at Olduvai Gorge Olduvai Gorge is an important paleontological site in Tanzania Louis Leakey began collection + excavation in 1930s Work continued for decades by Mary Leakey Still active site of excavation and research

Oldowan
Oldowan tools seem crude, but toolmakers were skilled At one well-preserved site, can match flakes to cores that they were struck from Toolmakers chipped as many as 30 flakes from 1 core

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First toolmakers?
Australopithecus garhi is one candidate present at right time and place bones with stone tool marks found associated with A.garhi tools found at nearby site dated to same time But, A.garhi was not alone 2.5 Mya P. aethiopicus K. platyops H. rudolfensis

First toolmakers?
The toolmakers may have been part of an evolving lineage that gave rise to genus Homo By 1.8 Mya, hominins (H. erectus) appear with: Larger body size Slower growth rate Reduced sexual dimorphism Bigger brains (900 cc, over 2x bigger than Australopithecines) NOTE: While no H. erectus fossils yet date to 2.5 Mya, that doesnt mean they werent around 2.5 Mya.

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Subsistence economy
Stone tools may have been part of a new subsistence economy In humans, use of complex foraging techniques affects life history and social structure How do modern foragers use technology for subsistence? Can we then apply insights to the archaeological record?

Modern human foragers

Human foragers exploit a diverse array of resources: Collected foods immobile, can be gathered and eaten directly Extracted foods immobile, but protected and require processing Hunted foods mobile, must be caught, sometimes require extraction and processing

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Humans rely more than apes on foods that are hard to get

Human foragers use larger range of prey and techniques

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For humans, foraging technology can take years to learn

Obtaining extractive resources requires skill, strength, detailed knowledge

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Big brains, slow development

The complexity of foraging tasks may favor bigger brains and slower development Extractive foraging and hunting require subtle knowledge Resources vary across sites, so skills must be learned Need to acquire information favors long period of learning Need to master complex skills favors larger brain

Juvenile period, life span

Long juvenile period may favor longer life span Prolonged juvenile period increases generation time Will only be favored if there is sufficient payoff Big investment will payoff more if spread out over long period Long juvenile period may favor extension of human life span

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Division of labor
High skill tasks favor division of labor and food sharing In all foraging societies, men and women specialize on certain tasks Women mainly forage (collective and extractive foraging) Men mainly hunt Specialization makes sense if foraging tasks are hard to master Specialization is only possible with food sharing

Hunting = High risk

Imagine group with 5 hunters: Each goes out every day to hunt Chance of making kill = 1/5 (0.2) After 10 days with no food, people starve What is the chance of starving?
(Fail Day 1) x (Fail Day 2) x x (Fail Day 10)= 0.810 0.1 So, there is 10% chance of starving over 10-day period

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Sharing reduces risk of failure

Again, imagine 5 hunters in group Chance of success = 1/5 If they share, all have to fail before anyone starves. What is the chance all will fail on same day? (Fail Hunter 1) x (Fail Hunter 2) (Fail Hunter 5) = 0.85 0.33 What is the chance of all failing for 10 days? (All fail Day 1) x (All Fail Day 2) (All fail Day 10) = 0.3310 0.000015 If hunters share, chance of starvation 1 in 60,000

Resource exchange is extensive in human groups

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Food sharing + division of labor may favor reduced dimorphism

In many foraging societies, men produce bulk of surplus calories Surplus production supports women and children If kids rely on males contribution, selection favors investing males Selection on male-male competition reduced Reduced competition linked to reduced sexual dimorphism in human societies

Back to the Pliocene

Oldowan toolmakers link ape-like hominins to more human-like hominins Contemporary foragers rely on complex foraging Complex foraging linked to important features of human life history What can we say about the foraging strategies of Oldowan toolmakers?

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Clues from archaeological record

What were tools used for? Conduct experiments to assess what tasks ancient tools are useful for Assess kinds of wear patterns produced by various kinds of tasks

Some tools likely for foraging tasks

Experiments suggest flakes were good for butchering game In S. Africa, bones were probably used as digging tools wear patterns suggest use in digging up termite mounds
Experimental tool: tuber + bulb digging

Fossil bone tool

Experimental tool: tuber digging

Experimental tool: termite mound digging

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Stones and bones

Oldowan tools are found near piles of animal bones Sites: Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania + Koobi Fora, Kenya Did hominins use tools to butcher game there? Did bones and tools come together by accident?

Bones deposited by water?

Animals sometimes drown as they try to cross stream Animals may drown in floodplain after flash floods Bones accumulate in sinkhole or sandbar Soil sediments tend to be sorted by size Not characteristic of Olduvai sites

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Bones result f/ mass die off?

Mass deaths sometimes occur at water holes during drought Mass deaths usually involve one species Little mixing of bones from different carcasses Again, not characteristic of Olduvai sites

Bones may be collected by predators, hominins left tools there later

Hyenas carry carcasses home to feed their young and avoid scavengers If sites were hyena dens, bones would have tooth marks only True for some Olduvai sites, but not others

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Hunting and scavenging

Evidence suggests Oldowan toolmakers hunted and scavenged At kill sites, predators have to compete with scavengers Predators often drag the meatiest bones away to eat them in peace Other bones tend to remain near kill site

Marks on bones indicate use

If hominins scavenged, cut marks should appear on bones typically left at kill sites (lower quality) If hominins hunted, cut marks should appear on bones typically carried away (higher quality)

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Marks indicate order of access

On some bones, cut marks lie under tooth marks On some bones, cut marks lie over tooth marks So, evidence suggests Oldowan toolmakers gained primary (hunting?) and secondary (scavenging) access to meat

Accumulations of stones and bones: evidence of home base?

Circle of stones and debris as evidence of a shelter?

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What did hominins do at these sites?

Modern foragers have home bases:
Simple shelters Occupied for weeks or months Use camp to process kills, cook, eat, meet at end of day, repair tools, etc.

Bones dont seem to have been intensively processed Some of the bones have only tooth marks So, probably not home bases

Butchery sites?
Hominins may have used these sites as butchery sites Hominins may have cached tools at various sites Carried carcasses to butchery sites Dismembered carcass there Carry good bits away for more intensive processing Scavengers may have fed on remains or competed for carcass

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Social organization and life history of Oldowan hominins

Complex foraging may be linked to: reduced sexual dimorphism more dependence on learning larger brain longer juvenile period longer life span

extensive male investment? male-female pair bonds?

Next up
Emergence of genus Homo Australopithecus sediba Homo habilis Homo rudolphensis Homo erectus Acheulean tool industry

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