Functional Adaptation among early Stone Tool Assemblages in south-eastern Wallacea and north-western Australia

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Archaeological and genetic evidence suggests Homo sapiens first spread through island southeast Asia (Wallacea) and reached north-western Australia by 65-50,000 years ago. Theyencountered novel habitats with very different resources from those available in Africa andEurasia. This project examines technological adaptations to these new challenges throughidentifying the function of prehistoric stone tools from three archaeological sites usingmicroscopic analysis of the tool surface. The research will test the hypothesis that novelsubsistence and social functions for stone tools, not seen in other hominin species, were critical inallowing our species to adapt to the divergent environments of these regions.