Back(s) to basics: The concept of backing in stone tool technologies for tracing hominins' technical innovations.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of Paleolithic stone tool technologies is characterized by gradual increase in technical complexity along with changes in the composition of assemblages. In this respect, the emergence of retouched-backed tools is an important step and, for some, a proxy for "modern" behavior. However, backed tools emerge relatively early and develop together with major changes in Middle-Upper Pleistocene stone tool technologies. We provide an updated review of the emergence and development of the "backing" concept across multiple chrono-cultural contexts and discuss its relationship to both the emergence of hafting and major evolutionary steps in the ergonomics of stone tool use. Finally, we address potential mechanisms of context-specific re-invention of backing based primarily on data from

SUBMITTER: Delpiano D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11624295 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature