Native American stone tool technology found in Arabia [the style, not actual precolumbian stone tools]

EurekAlert! ^ | August 5, 2020 | CNRS

[SunkenCiv]

Stone fluted points dating back some 8,000 to 7,000 years ago, were discovered on archaeological sites in Manayzah, Yemen and Ad-Dahariz, Oman. Spearheads and arrowheads were found among these distinctive and technologically advanced projectile points. Until now, the prehistoric technique of fluting had been uncovered only on 13,000 to 10,000-year-old Native American sites. According to a study led by an international team of archaeologists from the CNRS (1), Inrap, Ohio State University and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, the difference in age and geographic location implies there is no connection between the populations who made them. This is therefore an example of cultural convergence for an invention which required highly-skilled expertise. And yet, despite similar fluting techniques, the final aim appears to be different. Whereas in the Americas the points were used to facilitate hafting, or attaching the point to a shaft, fluting in Arabia was possibly a mere display of knapping skills.

[SunkenCiv]

Stone fluted points dating back some 8,000 to 7,000 years ago, were discovered on archaeological sites in Manayzah, Yemen and Ad-Dahariz, Oman. Until now, the prehistoric technique of fluting had been uncovered only on 13,000 to 10,000-year-old Native American sites.

[SunkenCiv]

[Governor Dinwiddie]

[Tacrolimus1mg]

So, in terms of social evolution, the Middle East is several millennia behind South America?

Sounds about right.

[Larry Lucido]

Cultural appropriation? Patent infringement?

[TXnMA]

Frustrating -- as usual. The depicted tools are modern knappers' "experimental artifacts" - not the ones the article is about. :-(

But, they can drive off longer fluting flakes than I can -- consistently... '-)

Thanks for the "Heads up!"!!

TXnMA    
  

[TXnMA]

FTA: "Whereas in the Americas the points were used to facilitate hafting, or attaching the point to a shaft, fluting in Arabia was possibly a mere display of knapping skills."

Wish they'd share how they determined that ...

Guess the proto-Atabs were like the Mayans: invent the wheel -- but only use it on toys...

  

[Pontiac]

invent the wheel -- but only use it on toys...

Making a wheel is easy.

The tricky part is making the axel (which includes wheel alignment).

[fso301]

There may just be only so many ways you can knapp stone into a useful tool

[PIF]

more archeological taking through the hat theories

[SunkenCiv]

They do nice work, eh?

[SunkenCiv]

As someone pointed out the other day, there was a dearth of beasts of burden (other than other humans); also, it may just be an old saw from some old carpenter that the wheel was unknown for such use. Also, people who live in the Andes may not have liked their first wheeled carts when they got loose and took the cargo rocketing down the path and off a cliff. :^)

[TXnMA]

fso301: "There may just be only so many ways you can knapp stone into a useful tool

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are:

That's my handout for when I demo/teach basic Lithic Technology (aka "FlintKnapping") to any group from gradeschool kids to "Archaeological Lithics Academies" for adults.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lithic reduction" (aka "toolmaking") generally proceeds from top to bottom:

1. The "Hard Hammer" ("Hammerstone") works by putting a 120-degree circular "shockwave cone" into the preform (like a BB hitting glass). Properly angled, a portion of the "shockwave cone" causes a fairly thick, "shell-shaped" (aka "Conchoidal") flake to detach -- by causing the material to fail in COMPRESSION.

2. The "Soft Hammer" (antler, bone, or wood billet" or ") causes a prepared, isolated "striking platform" (aligned with a "backbone ridge" [aka "arris"]) to fail IN TENSION -- "peeling off" a long, thin flake that generally follows the ridge .

3. "Pressure Flaking" Uses a fairly sharp (antler tip or bone) tool to direct a LOT of COMPRESSION ("pressure") force [large arrow vector] into a miniature "Force Platform" -- in the direction of the intended flake removal. Then, [small vector arrow] a twist of the wrist directs sufficient force away from the preform to "peel off" a long, narrow flake (in TENSION). For example, pressure flaking is used to produce fine "ribbon flaking" like this

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Fluting" is a special case of SOFT HAMMER flake detachment:

For fluting, the hard part is getting the preform into exactly the right shape (with a created "ridge" down the side to be fluted -- and a properly isolated and prepared "striking platform" (aligned with the ridge) on the end of the preform you're going to hit -- with a "Soft Hammer".

Oh -- and being able to hit ONLY the "platform -- at exactly the right angle -- with precisely the right amount of speed and force...

AND -- wrapping & supporting the preform blade along its entire length, so it doesn't try to flex & bend in the middle -- and, with a sharp "CRACK!" -- "provide you with TWO practice pieces" -- through a physical phenomenon known as "End Shock" [or, "$#@*&#^!!!"]  '-}

---

FWIW: Imagine trying to explain the above by only pointing and grunting!

I believe that flintknapping helped force development of language and graphics (sketching)!

TMI? Well -- you did raise the subject...!   <LOL!!>

TXnMA    
  

[TXnMA]

"more archeological taking through the hat theories"

~~~~~

Sell all your hats & caps -- or donate them to charity...

TXnMA    
  

[Mr. Blond]

How many ways are there to work with stone?

[Pontiac]

As someone pointed out the other day, there was a dearth of beasts of burden (other than other humans); also, it may just be an old saw from some old carpenter that the wheel was unknown for such use.

My limited read of the history of the wheel is that it was first used as a weapon of war. Why would it be different than any other first use of technology.

My observation is that the wheel was first introduced in the use of war chariots.

In my thoughts it is an obvious first use. In chariots the loads are relatively small; two men and their weapons.

Horses also were mostly used as weapons because you had to rich to afford to keep horses.

Put the horse and the chariot together and you have a formidable weapon.

These are my own observations so I would appreciate your more informed opinions.

[Pontiac]

Thank you for the post.

I have often wondered about the details of flint napping.

I hope someday to see a demonstration and possibly take a class.

It’s on my bucket list.

[PIF]

FWIW: Imagine trying to explain the above by only pointing and grunting!

I believe that flintknapping helped force development of language and graphics (sketching)!

`````
The people who made them could talk as well as you or I; anatomically correct humans have been traced back using mtDNA to 300,000 years ago. Talking is not a new thing. In fact, there is some evidence that writing is far older than we have previously believed, but remains untranslated.

Those Arabian long leaf-shaped bifocal points are related to European Solutrean, Swiderian, and North American Clovis traditions.

The conclusions made are just noise made by people who do not want to give the impression they are rocking the status quo and so are talking through their hat (muffled noises which are nonsense: ‘a mere display of knapping skills’).

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Wheels are impractical in the Andes especially on a lot of the Inca roads. They were often stair stepped and the bridges were often made of rope.

Wheeled vehicles work best on flat or gently sloping roads.

Something that is overlooked is that in the Americas they did use rollers for moving things which is more practical then wheels for moving heavy objects. No axles to break or wheels to come off which is an advantage when you're moving a big stone block.

[TXnMA]

"How many ways are there to work with stone?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

See #13, this thread

To those major methods for friable stone, add "Indirect percussion" (aka "punching")

Then add "pecking, grinding, and polishing", which are commonly used to shape granular, non-glass-like stone. (pipes, celts)

And, then, there are "brute force methods" such as "grooving, wedging and splitting") for quarrying tough, granular stone.