The Emergence of Human Complex Abilities

这项研究涉及早期人类文化和早期骨骼工具对评估人类认知能力的影响。工作的骨头工具被认为是现代人类行为的重要特征之一。在欧洲，复杂的骨骼技术是大约4万年前开始的旧石器时代晚期的特征。骨制工具的制造技术特别适合骨材料，如刮、磨和抛光，以及各种形状和功能（分裂基尖、骨柄、长矛投掷器、尖、鱼叉）。 早期“前现代”人类的骨骼技术据说比旧石器时代晚期的工具更简单，概念化程度更低。在50万年前的欧洲遗址中，人们发现了用作锤子和刮削器的肢骨。只有少数几件显示出通过剥落形成的证据，而完全成形的工具更是罕见。这项研究的目的是更详细地了解它们的制作过程。这项研究不仅将进一步了解人类过去的基本知识，而且还将促进国际科学合作。这项研究涉及一个国际团队成员的密切合作。在40万至30万年前的古罗马（意大利）的四个遗址中，人们描述了通过剥落对称形状的大象长骨制成的多种工具。制作工艺与敲石工艺相同。这种从石头到骨头的技术转移被认为是前现代人类没有创造性思维的迹象。早期骨骼技术的一个重要方面是用于正确识别工具的标准，因为各种自然过程可以产生人造工具的模拟物。该项目将对约40万年前Castel di Guido的所有骨骼和石器进行技术和埋藏学分析。许多被归类为工具的作品只呈现出有限的修改，这些修改不足以消除人们对它们意图的怀疑。分析将针对消除模糊的片状骨文物的识别，通过使用石头文物的特点。事实上，最近的进展，在约会表明，四个地点在时间上比预期更接近，这引出了一个问题：这些片状骨文物的出现，如此常见，在阿库姆地区代表一个真正的区域传统，反映了一套社会之间的群体在同一地区的习惯？这将与传统观念背道而驰，即前现代文化在其广阔的地理范围和漫长的时期内是静态和同质的。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This research concerns early human culture and the implications of early bone tools for assessing human cognitive abilities. Worked bone tools are considered among the important features characterizing modern human behavior. In Europe complex bone technologies are characteristics of the Upper Paleolithic which began about 40,000 years ago. Bone tools were made with techniques specifically adapted to bone materials such as scraping, grinding and polishing and a wide range of shapes and functions (split-base points, bone handles, spear-throwers, points, harpoons). The bone technology of earlier "pre-modern" humans is said to be simpler and involving a lower degree of conceptualization than Upper Paleolithic tools. Limb bones used as hammers and scrapers for the manufacture of stone tools are known from European sites as old as 500, 000 years ago. Just a few pieces show evidence of shaping by flaking and fully shaped tools are even rarer. The goal of this research is to understand in greater detail the processes by which they were made. This research will not only further basic knowledge regarding the human past but also further international scientific collaboration. The research involves close collaboration by members of an international team.Multiple tools made by flaking elephant long bones of symmetrical shape have been described in four sites in Latium (Italy) dated between 400,000 and 300,000 years ago. The manufacturing technique used was the same technique used in knapping stone artifacts. This transfer of techniques from stones to bone is taken as an indication that pre-modern humans were incapable of creative thinking. An important aspect of early bone technology is about the criteria used to correctly identify tools since various natural processes can produce mimics of man-made tools. This project will carry out a technological and taphonomic analysis of all the bone and stone tools from the assemblage of Castel di Guido dated to about 400,000 years ago. Many pieces classed as tools present only a limited amount of modification that is not distinctive enough to remove doubts about their intentionality. Analysis will be directed to the elimination of ambiguities in the identification of flaked bone artifacts by using features characteristic of stone artifacts. The fact that recent advances in dating suggest that the four sites in Latium are closer in time than expected invite a question: do these occurrences of flaked bone artifacts so common in the Latium region represent a genuine regional tradition, reflecting a set of socially transmitted habits between groups in the same region? This would run counter to the conventional idea that pre-modern culture was static and homogeneous over its large geographic extent and long periods.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.