Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Award: Microliths and the Development of Cultural Complexity

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

What was it that made Homo sapiens such a successful species and the sole remaining hominin on the landscape? What enabled it to colonize the entire world and survive in novel or extreme environments? Some researchers argue the development of a new kind of technology, called "microliths," was a key adaptive strategy in the success and global spread. Benefits of these small tools are argued to include more efficient conversion of raw materials into usable stone tools, creation of innovative and diverse tools, and have been linked with the use of composite tools. Composite tools combine multiple components and are often linked to the spread of mechanically assisted projectile technology and hunting weapons. The appearance and spread of microliths is suggested to be part of a global trend of technological reorganization during the late Pleistocene. However, these associations, and even the definition of "microliths," are problematic. Definitions tend to be contextual and oscillate between broad considerations of any intentionally produced small flake and specific manifestations of small tools. This has complicated understanding of the development, spread, and potential benefits of what is considered a pivotal technological innovation of modern humans. Rather than focusing on a typological definition of microliths, researchers must systematically address how small tools were made. By focusing on the technological system used to produce small tools in different contexts, one can understand how each system varied and whether technological systems for small tool production were convergent solutions that were reinvented or cultural knowledge transmitted within and between groups. This has implications for population structure and interconnectedness during the late Pleistocene. This project will foster international collaborations and provide opportunities for mentorship and training of student participants, including first-generation students, minorities, women, and students with disabilities to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in scientific research. This doctoral dissertation project examines decisions related to systems of provisioning, transport, and the use of composite tools and projectile technology and how these affected the form and systems of production of small tool technologies during the late Pleistocene. The archaeological record during the late Pleistocene has provided early evidence for behavioral changes in modern humans and has been vital to our understanding of the origin and evolution of the species. The researcher will employ technological analysis of stone tool assemblages and experimental archaeology to understand how systems of raw material provisioning and transport influence on technological organization and individual systems of small tool production during the late Pleistocene. Results from this project will contribute to examination of the costs and benefits of different strategies for composite tool manufacture and to provide an independent line of evidence to evaluate the development and spread of projectile weaponry. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.