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

这是一个多学科的研究燧石敲击打击乐技术的建议，侧重于技术，认知和文化的影响有机（软）锤在较低的旧石器时代工具包。软锤的采用被认为是石器工具技术发展的重要一步，它被认为可以促进更可控的减少和更精细的产品。然而，由于有机人工制品的保存稀缺，人们对这项技术的出现知之甚少；软锤技术的推断往往是肤浅的，基于对岩石组合的改进，特别是双面的改进。这种方法是有问题的，很大程度上取决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，以推断生产方法和打击乐器类型。具体测试3D几何形态计量学（统计包括主成分分析）和训练深度学习算法。这项研究将为支持石器技术的技术链提供新的见解，促进对旧石器时代晚期技能习得及其进化意义的讨论。作为一个高度创新的项目，测试定制数字软件的新应用，本研究将对广泛的岩片研究方法做出重要贡献。

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.