Hammer time: experimental investigations on the role of organic knapping percussors in Lower Palaeolithic technology and culture

这个建议是一个多学科的研究燧石knapping锤技术，集中在技术，认知和文化的影响，有机（软）锤在旧石器时代早期的工具包。软锤的采用被认为是石器技术发展的重要一步，这被认为是促进更可控的减少和更精致的产品。然而，这种技术的出现是知之甚少，由于有机文物的保存稀缺;软锤技术的推论往往是肤浅的，基于对石器组合，特别是双面的感知细化。这种方法是有问题的，它在很大程度上依赖于研究人员的个人经验，而不是标准的指数和标准。该项目将探索实验和考古石器组合的定制数字软件，以推断生产方法和制造商类型。专门测试3D几何形态学（包括主成分分析在内的统计数据）和经过训练的深度学习算法。这项研究将为支撑石器技术的链条操作提供新的见解，促进关于旧石器时代早期技能获取及其进化影响的讨论。作为一个高度创新的项目，测试定制的数字软件的新应用，这项研究将在广泛的石器研究方法学的重要贡献。

This proposal is for a multidisciplinary study of flint-knapping percussor technology, focusing on the technical, cognitive, and cultural implications of organic (soft) hammers within Lower Palaeolithic toolkits. The adoption of soft hammers is recognised as an important step in the development of stone tool technologies, which are hypothesised to facilitate more controlled reduction and more refined products. However, the emergence of this technology is poorly understood due to the scarce preservation of organic artefacts; inferences of soft hammer technology are often superficial, based on the perceived refinement of lithic assemblages, particularly of bifaces. This approach is problematic, leaving much to the personal experience of researchers, rather than standard indices and criteria. This project will explore bespoke digital software on experimental and archaeological lithic assemblages, in order to infer production methods and percussor types. Specifically testing 3D Geometric Morphometrics (statistics including Principal Component Analysis) and trained Deep Learning algorithms. The study will provide new insights into the chaine opératoires underpinning stone tool technologies, facilitating discussions on skill acquisition during the Lower Palaeolithic and their evolutionary implications. As a highly innovative project, testing new applications of bespoke digital software, this research will have important contributions to methodology within lithic studies broadly.