Author, as appears in the article.: Muller, A; Barsky, D; Sala-Ramos, R; Sharon, G; Titton, S; Verges, JM; Grosman, L
Department: Història i Història de l'Art
URV's Author/s: Sala Ramos, Robert / Titton, Stefania / Vergès Bosch, Josep Maria
Keywords: ‘ubeidiya Three-dimensional lithic analysis Stone balls Spheroids Spherical harmonics Lower palaeolithic Ain hanech tools three-dimensional lithic analysis technology stone balls spherical harmonics site oldowan lower palaeolithic industry evolution culture archaeology 'ubeidiya
Abstract: Spheroids are one of the least understood lithic items yet are one of the most enduring, spanning from the Oldowan to the Middle Palaeolithic. Why and how they were made remains highly debated. We seek to address whether spheroids represent unintentional by-products of percussive tasks or if they were intentionally knapped tools with specific manufacturing goals. We apply novel three-dimensional analysis methods, including spherical harmonics and surface curvature, to 150 limestone spheroids from 'Ubeidiya (ca 1.4 Ma), presently the earliest Acheulean occurrence outside of Africa, to bring a new perspective to these enigmatic artefacts. We reconstruct the spheroid reduction sequence based on trends in their scar facets and geometry, finding that the spheroid makers at 'Ubeidiya followed a premeditated reduction strategy. During their manufacture, the spheroids do not become smoother, but they become markedly more spherical. They approach an ideal sphere, a feat that likely required skilful knapping and a preconceived goal. Acheulean bifaces are currently thought to represent the earliest evidence of hominins imposing a premeditated, symmetrical shape on stone. The intentional production of sphere-like objects at 'Ubeidiya similarly shows evidence of Acheulean hominins desiring and achieving intentional geometry and symmetry in stone.© 2023 The Authors.
Thematic Areas: Multidisciplinary sciences Multidisciplinary Medicina veterinaria Matemática / probabilidade e estatística Interdisciplinar Geociências Ciências biológicas i Ciências agrárias i Ciência da computação Biodiversidade Astronomia / física Antropologia / arqueologia
licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
Author's mail: josepmaria.verges@urv.cat robert.sala@urv.cat
Author identifier: 0000-0002-7168-824X
Record's date: 2024-06-28
Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Link to the original source: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230671
Licence document URL: http://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
Papper original source: Royal Society Open Science. 10 (9): 230671-230671
APA: Muller, A; Barsky, D; Sala-Ramos, R; Sharon, G; Titton, S; Verges, JM; Grosman, L (2023). The limestone spheroids of 'Ubeidiya: intentional imposition of symmetric geometry by early hominins?. Royal Society Open Science, 10(9), 230671-230671. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230671
Article's DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230671
Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Journal publication year: 2023
Publication Type: Journal Publications
Repositori URV