Nora David, Marreiros João, Gneisinger Walter, Pedergnana Antonella, Pereira Telmo
The Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel.
ICArEHB, Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution Human Behaviour, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal.
PLoS One. 2025 Jul 18;20(7):e0327215. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0327215. eCollection 2025.
The physical properties of distinct raw materials, such as hardness, homogeneity, and grain size, have been recurrently suggested as some of the key reasons for human decision-making, namely the selection, production, and use of stone implements in the past. However, little is known, concerning the relationship between stone tools and human behaviour and how this is reflected in the variability seen in the archaeological record. Therefore, investigating stone tools' properties and performance brings fundamental insights into identifying and understanding the origins of some of the major human technological behavioural traits. In this study, we aim to address this topic by measuring the variability of the properties of lithic raw materials from the perspective of tool use. A controlled experiment was designed to test the mechanical performance with a focus on the efficiency (ratio between effectiveness and durability) of four distinct raw materials (quartzite, dacite, flint, and obsidian). Our study addresses the null hypothesis: "Edge efficiency does not vary according to the different lithic raw materials." Efficiency is assessedby the combination of penetration depth (proxy to measure effectiveness) and edge wear (proxy to measure durability). These two variables were measured, and the results correlated with the physical properties of various raw materials, including hardness and grain size. Our results show significant differences in the efficiency between the different types of raw materials. The outcome demonstrates that the variables by which we test the edge efficiency of lithic raw materials are highly relevant for raw material selection and, consequently, may have been of utmost importance in influencing the decision-aking process of past hunter-gatherers. A decrease in tool efficiency during use may have constrained daily activities, necessitating technological adaptations. This strongly suggests that each raw material used in archaeological contexts to produce blanks should be evaluated for its efficiency. In addition, it may be pertinent to extend this approach to other blunt artefactssuch as scrapers, burins, anvils, and hammerstones when investigating aspects of interconnected behaviours such as artefact variability, resource economy, group mobility, and site function. Such choices and decisions are coded in the archaeological record and represent cultural factors that were transmitted through learning and likely triggered the human decision-making process of past hunter-gatherers.
不同原材料的物理特性，如硬度、均匀性和粒度，经常被认为是人类决策的一些关键原因，即过去石器的选择、生产和使用。然而，关于石器与人类行为之间的关系以及这如何反映在考古记录中的变异性，我们知之甚少。因此，研究石器的特性和性能为识别和理解一些主要人类技术行为特征的起源带来了基本见解。在本研究中，我们旨在从工具使用的角度测量石器原材料特性的变异性，以解决这一主题。设计了一个对照实验来测试四种不同原材料（石英岩、英安岩、燧石和黑曜石）的机械性能，重点关注效率（有效性与耐用性之比）。我们的研究针对零假设：“边缘效率不会因不同的石器原材料而有所不同”。通过穿透深度（衡量有效性的指标）和边缘磨损（衡量耐用性的指标）的组合来评估效率。测量了这两个变量，并将结果与各种原材料的物理特性（包括硬度和粒度）相关联。我们的结果表明不同类型原材料之间的效率存在显著差异。结果表明，我们用于测试石器原材料边缘效率的变量与原材料选择高度相关，因此可能在影响过去狩猎采集者的决策过程中至关重要。使用过程中工具效率的降低可能会限制日常活动，从而需要技术调整。这有力地表明，在考古背景下用于生产坯料的每种原材料都应评估其效率。此外，在研究诸如人工制品变异性、资源经济、群体流动性和遗址功能等相互关联行为的各个方面时，将这种方法扩展到其他钝器，如刮刀、刻刀、砧石和石锤，可能是相关的。这些选择和决策记录在考古记录中，代表了通过学习传承的文化因素，可能触发了过去狩猎采集者的人类决策过程。
