I’d guess that this is the product of the late tendency toward feminized PC thinking on the part of a lot of scientists.
These ancient men were half-ass wounding dinner and then chasing it for acres and miles AND THEN they were sweeping out the hut when they got home as well?
If I put myself in the place of the ancient men I can tell you I would chase a wounded gazelle just once before I started looking at other methods such as hobbling it on the spot with something and sweeping in for a death blow, or just making damn sure that inside of the expectable range the spearchuckers were deadly.
I wonder why it doesn’t occur to the scientists that it is damn likely that the weapon wielders and spearchuckers were probably pretty badass in the execution of their specialty. Ever seen the results of a 19th century harpooner flinging a shaft?
Today our best athletes are in pro sports but back then they were hunting food. I realize scientists need indications of a thing to speculate but more and more I hear them saying things that sound more PC than intuitive. (And I grew up read Natn'l Geo. religiously)
Let’s look at this from another angle, shall we?
What if the stones were tied in link with rope of some sort, and used by swinging them around and throwing them at the legs of gazelles. He could then use the sickle, not for gathering wheat, but for slicing the gazelle’s achilles tendons so it couldn’t run away (would also make a quick way to slice the throat without getting too close to those wicked horns. The toes are merit badges, if you will, from previous kills.
Maybe, he was 13 and dad said, “Now’s your time Johammmadi. Go out and bring me back 20 gazelle toes. Then, grasshopper, you will be a man.”
Seems resonable to me... These people were hunter/gatherers, seems like the first part seems to get forgotten alot. There have always been ‘rights of passage’ in the world of hunters turning of age. The answer could truely be anything, but to just say he was a vegetarian based on his toolkit seems alot like a biased opinion. If he was a vegetarian gatherer, maybe that’s why they found his toolkit - He was eaten by something and he had no clue how to defend himself in the real world.
(Yes I DO realize that the word ‘she’ could be substituted for ‘he’ multiple times in the preceeding sentences, and if while reading you felt as if I was being sexist...get over yourself. The world’s not about you...
Don’t sue me, don’t protest in Washington, don’t call your senator and demand new legislation, don’t scream out loud until everyone rolls their eyes behind your back....
It’s real easy, just turn off the computer and go for a walk... ok?)
Forget about it...