Abstract
The identification of Oldowan hominin knapping skill levels has been a focus of numerous studies, with apparent variation in technical abilities identified between a number of Early Stone Age archaeological sites. Raw material variability, however, can play a significant role in the outcomes of knapping events as well as in the accuracy of analysis. Implications of such variability are yet to be fully understood. Here we present an experimental study to assess the effects that varying raw materials have on the identification of technological attributes typically associated with varying skill levels and whether it is possible to identify knapper skill levels across multiple raw materials. Variation was tested between raw materials from Olduvai Gorge across and between skill levels. The results suggest that knapping skill levels manifest differently in the material record across raw materials. In addition, we suggest that raw material has a significant effect on identifying knapper skill variation. This has implications for future research concerned with identifying knapper skill within and between early assemblages of differing raw materials.
Highlights
Quartzite and various lava artefacts are prevalent throughout Bed I, with chert artefacts found in assemblages during a confined period of time during Bed II associated with the Tuff IIA interval, when the palaeolake was in regression (Hay 1976; Leakey 1971; McHenry and de la Torre 2018)
To test if assemblages of the same skill levels are internally consistent across the different raw material types, a technological comparison between raw material types was conducted for each skill level
We have sought to address two primary research questions, namely how varying knapper skill levels manifest themselves in each Olduvai raw material, and if it is possible to identify knapping skill variation between the raw materials found at Olduvai Gorge
Summary
The identification of knapping skill within the Oldowan has long been investigated (Apel 2008; Chavaillon 1976; Delagnes and Roche 2005; Geribàs et al 2010; Kibunjia 1994; Olausson 1998; Roche et al 1999; Stout et al 2019), ranging from the identification of individual skill levels to discussions on skill-related variation across the entire techno-complex (de la Torre 2004; Delagnes and Roche 2005; Toth et al 2006). It was argued that the tool makers were unable to identify adequate natural knapping angles despite the local availability of high-quality raw material and showed a lack of manual dexterity evidenced by intensive battering along platform edges (Kibunjia 1994)
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