Variability in an early hominin percussive tradition: the Acheulean versus cultural variation in modern chimpanzee artefacts.

ABSTRACT: Percussion makes a vital link between the activities of early human ancestors and other animals in tool-use and tool-making. Far more of the early human actions are preserved as archaeology, since the percussion was largely used for making hard tools of stone, rather than for direct access to food. Both primate tools and early hominin tools, however, offer a means to exploring variability in material culture, a strong focus of interest in recent primate studies. This paper charts such variability in the Acheulean, the longest-lasting tool tradition, extant form about 1.7 to about 0.1 Ma, and well known for its characteristic handaxes. The paper concentrates on the African record, although the Acheulean was also known in Europe and Asia. It uses principal components and discriminant analysi

SUBMITTER: Gowlett JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4614721 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature