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

博士论文改进奖：细石器与文化复杂性的发展

• 批准号: 2029578
• 负责人: Teresa Steele
• 金额: $ 2.58万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-12-01 至 2023-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2029578&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Award; Microliths

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.

是什么让智人成为如此成功的物种，成为地球上仅存的人类？是什么使它能够殖民整个世界，并在新的或极端的环境中生存？一些研究人员认为，一种名为“微石”的新技术的发展是成功和全球传播的关键适应策略。这些小型工具的好处被认为包括更有效地将原材料转化为可用的石器，创造创新和多样化的工具，并与复合工具的使用相关联。复合工具联合收割机结合了多个部件，通常与机械辅助射弹技术和狩猎武器的传播有关。细石器的出现和传播被认为是更新世晚期全球技术重组趋势的一部分。然而，这些协会，甚至“微石”的定义，是有问题的。定义往往是上下文和振荡之间的广泛考虑任何有意生产的小薄片和具体表现的小工具。这使得对现代人类关键技术创新的发展、传播和潜在利益的理解变得复杂。研究人员必须系统地解决小型工具是如何制造的，而不是专注于细石器的类型学定义。通过关注在不同背景下用于生产小型工具的技术系统，人们可以了解每个系统是如何变化的，以及小型工具生产的技术系统是否是重新发明的趋同解决方案，还是在群体内部和群体之间传播的文化知识。这对更新世晚期的人口结构和相互联系有影响。该项目将促进国际合作，并为学生参与者提供指导和培训的机会，包括第一代学生，少数民族，妇女和残疾学生，以扩大代表性不足的群体在科学研究中的参与。以及复合工具和射弹技术的使用，以及这些技术如何影响更新世晚期小型工具技术生产的形式和系统。更新世晚期的考古记录为现代人类的行为变化提供了早期证据，对我们理解物种的起源和进化至关重要。研究人员将采用石器组合和实验考古学的技术分析，以了解原材料供应和运输系统如何影响更新世晚期小型工具生产的技术组织和个人系统。该项目的结果将有助于审查复合材料工具制造的不同战略的成本和效益，并提供一个独立的证据线，以评估发展和传播的弹丸weapon.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

项目成果

Small tool production in the Howiesons Poort: a view from Montagu Cave, South Africa

豪伊森普尔特 (Howiesons Poort) 的小型工具生产：南非蒙塔古洞 (Montagu Cave) 的景色

• DOI: 10.1080/0067270x.2023.2260666
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa
• 作者: Watson, Sara E.;Dogandžić, Tamara;Zhang, Peiqi;Steele, Teresa E.;Zwyns, Nicolas
• 通讯作者: Zwyns, Nicolas

Robberg Material Procurement and Transport in the Doring River Catchment: Evidence from the Open-Air Locality of Uitspankraal 9, Western Cape, South Africa

多灵河流域的罗伯格材料采购和运输：来自南非西开普省 Uitspankraal 9 露天地点的证据

• DOI: 10.1163/21915784-20200013
• 发表时间: 2020
• 期刊: Journal of African Archaeology
• 影响因子: 1.4
• 作者: Watson, Sara;Low, Marika;Phillips, Natasha;O’Driscoll, Corey;Shaw, Matthew;Ames, Chris;Jacobs, Zenobia;Mackay, Alex
• 通讯作者: Mackay, Alex

What causes differences in fracture rates of silcrete during heat treatment? A near-infrared study of water-related transformations in South African silcretes

是什么原因导致硅混凝土在热处理过程中断裂率存在差异？

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103162
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
• 作者: Watson, Sara;Nasoordeen, Shezani;Grote, Mark N.;Mackay, Alex;Schmidt, Patrick
• 通讯作者: Schmidt, Patrick