Exploring the impact of mobility and selection on stone tool recycling behaviors through agent-based simulation.

ABSTRACT: Recycling behaviors are becoming increasingly recognized as important parts of the production and use of stone tools in the Paleolithic. Yet, there are still no well-defined expectations for how recycling affects the appearance of the archaeological record across landscapes. Using an agent-based model of recycling in surface contexts, this study looks how the archaeological record changes under different conditions of recycling frequency, occupational intensity, mobility, and artifact selection. The simulations also show that while an increased number of recycled artifacts across a landscape does indicate the occurrence of more scavenging and recycling behaviors generally, the location of large numbers of recycled artifacts is not necessarily where the scavenging itself happened. This is p

SUBMITTER: Coco E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10635449 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature