Stone tool
As stone tools, stone tools or stone artifact all artificially modified by humans or their ancestors hominin stones are referred to in archeology. Because of their relative resistance to weathering in the soil stone products ( artifacts ) significant archaeological sources to document the earliest human activities. In the course of evolution of man, the style of these goods has been refined and the elaborate manufacturing techniques.
The analysis of stone artefacts is part of the prehistoric archeology. The most common material of European Paleolithic was the flint (chalk flint, chert ), besides also chert, quartz, quartzite and rhyolites were used. Stone tool traditions form since the first, created in 1869 by Gabriel de Mortillet nomenclature, the basis for the classification of the earlier prehistory. On the basis defined by stone tools archaeological cultures in Europe include the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic, in Africa the Early, Middle and Late Stone Age. In addition to the shape and the characteristic method of production may be partly the function of stone tools are developed, and thus the economy of its users.
Conceptual delimitation
In archaeological parlance, two levels can be distinguished: stone tools, stone tools and lithic be used as composite terms interchangeably, they are here as a generic term for all the stones that have been modified by humans and used as a tool. In contrast, there is the name of the device or tool in the terminology of chipped stone artifacts (in particular flint ). Here is the device or tool for retouching basic forms and thus in contrast to the unmodified basic forms tee and core.
Stone tools of Paleolithic
Stones ( pebbles ) were used since the Early Stone Age in Africa as a raw material for the production of simple tools, so-called scree devices. The oldest stone tools of the Oldowan come from the reference Gona near Hadar in Ethiopia. They are 2,6 million and 2.5 million years old. With an age of 2.34 million years ago, stone tools - finds from the western shore of Lake Turkana in Kenya are almost the same age.
In the field of Gona adjacent reference Bouri 2.5 million years old fossil bones were found, which have cut marks from stone tools.
Around 800,000 years older are parallel notches in two wild animal bones from the Ethiopian reference DRP, south of Hadar, which have also been interpreted as cut marks from stone tools. The age of these fossils were dated using the 39Ar - 40Ar method on 3.42 to 3.24 million years. From this epoch only finds of Australopithecus afarensis are known there, including the previously best-preserved fossil of Australopithecus afarensis, whose scientific name DIK is 1-1; also his age has been dated to about 3.3 million years ago. The interpretation of these notches is controversial. So never stone tools or reductions were found from the manufacture of stone tools in the discovery of layers of Australopithecus afarensis; However, numerous fossil remains have been found of crocodiles at the site of the two wild animal bones, their bite marks can cause very similar damage to bones such as stone tools.
Rename at the same time the most important periods:
- Oldowan (only in Africa): Pebble tools made by Homo rudolfensis presumably, Homo habilis and Homo ergaster / Homo erectus.
- Acheulian (Africa, Asia, Europe): bifaces, made probably from Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis and Homo ergaster / Homo erectus
- Middle Palaeolithic (Europe): characteristic is the first occurring about 300,000 years ago Levallois, the characteristic core reduction technology of the Neanderthals.
- Middle Stone Age (Africa): Beginning of the blade techniques in South Africa about 65,000 years ago (see Howieson 's Poort industry)
- Upper Paleolithic: new " blade " technique with conical blade cores; occurs as a technique of anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) about 40,000 years ago in Europe
Stone implements of the Neolithic
A large incision in the technology, the transition from the beaten stone tools (eg, hand ax ) to final polished stone tools ( stone axes ). Ground stone was defined in 1865 by John Lubbock as the most important characteristic of the Neolithic Age (Neolithic ).
Stone tools during the Metal Ages
Also, during the Bronze Age and Iron Age in Europe remained stone tools in use, for example in the form of arrowheads or lighters (consisting of flint and pyrite tuber).
Recent History
Stone tools are regionally still relevant today, for example in the form of Mahlgerätschaften ( millstone, mortar ) or in metal processing. In the " cold forging " stone balls and stone hammers are used for working metal in West Africa.