Stone tools from prehistoric sites appear to have two life cycles: They were crafted, used, and discarded before being picked up a second time and used again. There is an interesting hypothesis as to why this is.
The research suggests that the reuse of these tools is about remembering places, events, and people from the past and previous generations.
The Revadim site is in the south of Israel's Coastal Plain and contains 49 flint tools. The tools were found in a layer from 500,000 years ago.
The function of the objects was determined through a study of the chemical coating that settles on flint when it is exposed to the open air for a long period of time.
Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University in Israel wonder why prehistoric humans collected and recycled tools that were 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020 800-361-3020
Good-quality flint is easy to come by at Revadim, which is not the reason for theScarcity of raw materials. The recycled tools were not unusual in form or suitable for any specific use, so the motivation was not just functional.
The tools had two edges, an old one and a new one. It seems that the second time these stone objects were used, they were used for less demanding tasks, like scrapers of soft materials like leather and animal flesh.
The reshaping that took place as these tools were picked up and used a second time looks to have been very minimal.
The scars from their first deployment were largely retained, suggesting that it was important to preserve their appearance.
Researchers think the tools held sentimental value and were collected because of their connections to the past.
It is difficult to know, but it is an interesting idea with some evidence to back it up.
Imagine a prehistoric human walking through the landscape 500,000 years ago, with an old stone tool in his hand.
He weighs it in his hands after picking it up. He decided to take the artifact home. Understanding that daily use can preserve and even enhance the memory, he trims the edge for his own use, but takes care not to alter the overall shape in honor of the first manufacturer.
It is possible that these tools were reuse because it was less effort than creating new tools from scratch, but there were also plenty of newly created tools, so that strategy was extensively used as well.
In other words, these early humans living some 500,000 years ago were just as similar to us in how they collected keepsakes that did a job, but also reminders of something that had happened in the past.
The prehistoric human may be likened to a young farmer still plowing his fields with his great-grandfather's rusty old tractor, but preserving the good old machine as is, because it symbolizes his family.
The research has been published.
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