1. Open Access Kent State
  2. Antarctica as a ‘natural laboratory’ for the critical assessment of the archaeological validity of early stone tool sites
Author(s)
Abstract

Lithic technologies dominate understanding of early humans, yet natural processes can fracture rock in ways that resemble artefacts made by Homo sapiens and other primates. Differentiating between fractures made by natural processes and primates is important for assessing the validity of early and controversial archaeological sites. Rather than depend on expert authority or intuition, the authors propose a null model of conchoidally fractured Antarctic rocks. As no primates have ever occupied the continent, Antarctica offers a laboratory for generating samples that could only have been naturally fractured. Examples that resemble artefacts produced by primates illustrate the potential of ‘archaeological’ research in Antarctica for the evaluation of hominin sites worldwide.
Format
Article
Identifier(s)
10.15184/aqy.2023.4
Publication Date
2023-01-31
Publication Title
Antiquity
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Volume
97
Issue
392
First Page
472
Last Page
482
Keywords
Subject
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Community
Department of Anthropology
Permalink https://oaks.kent.edu/article/antarctica-natural-laboratory-critical-assessment-archaeological-validity-early-stone-tool
Eren, M., Bebber, M., Buchanan, B., Grunow, A., Key, A., Lycett, S., Maletic, E., & Riley, T. (2023). Antarctica as a ‘natural laboratory’ for the critical assessment of the archaeological validity of early stone tool sites (1–). Antiquity. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.4
Eren, Metin, Michelle Bebber, Briggs Buchanan, Anne Grunow, Alastair Key, Stephen Lycett, Erica Maletic, and Teal Riley. 2023. “Antarctica As a ‘natural laboratory’ for the Critical Assessment of the Archaeological Validity of Early Stone Tool Sites”. Antiquity. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.4.
Eren, Metin, et al. Antarctica As a ‘natural laboratory’ for the Critical Assessment of the Archaeological Validity of Early Stone Tool Sites. Antiquity, 31 Jan. 2023, https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2023.4.