Posted on 04/17/2020 2:41:57 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Stone artifacts painstakingly shaped into spheres were part of the daily lives of early humans for more than two million years. They have been unearthed by archaeologists in East Africa, humanity's ancestral home, and they litter prehistoric sites across Eurasia from the Middle East to China and India. Yet experts have been puzzled by their function since the early days of research into our evolutionary history.
Now, an international team of archaeologists led by Tel Aviv University archaeologist researcher Ella Assaf, has produced evidence that these enigmatic artifacts were used for a very specific purpose: breaking the bones of large animals to extract the nutritious marrow inside.
The study, published last week in the journal PLOS ONE, highlights how an elegant technological solution that allowed hominins to increase their calorie intake endured for hundreds of thousands of years and continued to be used even as our ancestors developed new techniques and created more complex societies.
The researchers analyzed shaped stone balls, also called spheroids, found in Qesem Cave, a prehistoric site just east of the modern city of Tel Aviv that was inhabited from 400,000 to 200,000 years ago. The discovery of around 30 of these artifacts in this particular cave was a puzzle wrapped in an enigma for archaeologists. Not only did the function of the spheres remain obscure, but their presence there was considered anachronistic, because these artifacts are usually found at much older sites.
Qesem Cave was uncovered during road works in the year 2000... a treasure trove of hundreds of thousands of flint tools and animal bones as well as 13 hominin teeth, belonging to the as-yet-unidentified group that lived at the site.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
She's had lock boxes everywhere and every-when...
Sounds like a lot of wasted work when any semi pointed rock would do the same thing...probable currency....
This one is too easy :-)
Good question!
hehe
so Salad Fork, Fork, Knife, Spoon, Stone Ball
“I hope next they’ll feel free to explain this found all over the World”
Even in Australia?
The bow and arrow and the frame drum (membrane stretched over a round wooden frame) are found the world over but not in Australia.
Lots of use of words like “assumption” “speculation” “possible”, in other words, they have some ideas, but they still know nothing. Lots of guessing. Worse they admit their theory in not universal to “balls” found elsewhere.
Besides these crude “balls”, I seem to remember seeing ones that were quite large, smooth, finished, and very numerous - as well as unexplained.
Ancient, long ago tribe of Trumpians?
Those are Haaretz' words. Possible/probable are always quite appropriate in an archaeological setting, unless it turns out there were surveillance cameras and recorders in the paleolithic.
The puzzling question of Pi since the beginning of mankind.
Yeah.
No.
You can break open a bone, even of a large animal with any decent sized rock. There is no reason spend time chipping out a round ball shape when you be making cord, collecting food, fire wood, preparing leather or any number of other tasks.
“I hope next they’ll feel free to explain this found all over the World:”
Same thing bigger version.
Go Biblical: “And there were Giants in those days...”
They needed it for stuff like!
:)
lol
I think sunkenciv gets a kick out of the funny comments as much as anybody.
He’s a great sport.
And his threads are actually fascinating.
unless it turns out there were surveillance cameras and recorders in the paleolithic
The puzzling question of Pi since the beginning of mankind.
```
The movie The Life of Pi was quite good
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
