Eolith

A Geofakt or pseudo artifact is a modified naturally rubble, which has artifacts like how man-made features. The characteristics that result from intentional processing at a discount and nuclei are formed during Geofakten exclusively by forces of nature. Geofacts can include features that feign a human processing: blow hump, face and impact scar that point to a point Bruchinitialisierung and randliche retouching, caused by a directional mechanical stress on the edge, such as by rearrangement ( see chart at discount). Such processing by selective hitting often very similar seeing nicks can be caused by unwinding and knocking against each other in gravels. Matching Scenarios for the chip to offer fast flowing waters, the surf, earth or ice pressure, wind, temperature and humidity changes.

The Eolithenstreit

In the research history of archeology at first the word was Eolith (from the Greek Eos, the dawn, and lithos, stone ) used to describe processed acting rubble devices. The term " Éolithique " already took place in 1883 when Gabriel de Mortillet in his work Le Préhistorique antiquité de l' homme for the description of the oldest prehistoric age use. Regarding the oldest objects, many scientists were mistakenly convinced in the late 19th century, that even in the layers of the Tertiary eoliths found (before about 25 million years ago) are human tools. The " Dawn of Humanity ", whose geological age at that time was hardly estimated, had been thus already connected with stone tools.

Other assessment were, for example, Marcellin Boule, Henri Breuil and Hugo Obermaier, who expressed their views in 1905. Marcellin Boule published 1905 observations from the gravel mill of Mantes- la -Ville. In such a " chalk mills " flints were ground industrially. As a result, he found en masse eoliths which had all the features of human processing, down to the thinnest blade that would be typical of the Magdalenian. The active conduct of, especially in the 1905 discussion is called " Eolithenstreit ". Echoes found the discussion in the December meeting of the Geological Society in 1905, when Hans Hahne explained the differences between Geofakten of chalk mills and artifacts. The debate was fueled by the different valuation of gravel finds in German Fund places, for example in the so -called " Park gravel pit " of Hundisburg. In contrast, Fritz Wiegers supported the work of Breuil and Obermaier.

Geofacts as works of art

Since Jacques Boucher de Perthes, the first discoverer altpaläolithischer artifacts and with his life's work much deserved prehistoric researchers, small figural works of art were in Geofakten repeatedly seen ( cf. Altpaläolithische cabaret ). Here rain incidental, figurative acting nature games the imagination of the viewer. Prominent examples of alleged Venusfigurinen from the Lower Palaeolithic are the Venus of Tan -Tan and the Venus of Berekhat Ram. In both cases, it is geofacts.

Current Rating

Under certain circumstances, the decision of whether it is a Geofakt or a manmade stone artifact, not easy. In this case, the Fund context can be used for decision making (see results ). Is it near other traces of human activity, such as settlements, this suggests that it is an artifact. An isolated found battered stone is one more place than Geofakt.

Also geofacts suitable under certain circumstances as tools and can therefore have been used in individual cases of hominins.