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The Great Discoveries: Early Stone Tools

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Sandra Ofomah
ANTH 3010 - 002: The Great Discoveries
Dr. Jeffery Frost
May 3rd 2015
COMPLEX COGNITIVE CONTROL REQIURED FOR LOWER PALEOLITHIC TOOL MAKING
The lower Paleolithic era also known as the Early Stone Age lasted from about 2.6million years ago - 200,000 years ago. The lower Paleolithic began when the first stone tool was manufactured 2.7million years ago called the “Oldowan tool” by the hominin Homo habilis (2.5 million years ago – 1.7 million years ago). This era also saw the rise of other hominin ancestors of human beings including Homo ergaster and Homo erectus (1.8 million years ago - 100,000 years ago) that showed the beginnings of recognizable human behaviors (Oldowan and Acheulean Stone Tools 2015). This group of hominins …show more content…

The Acheulean “Hand axe” tool dates from 1.4 million years ago – 100,000 years ago and originated in Sub-Saharan Africa. This technology is characterized by its unique stone hand axe which are pear shaped, teardrop shaped, or rounded in outline, usually 12–20 cm long and flaked over at least part of the surface of each side (bifacial). There is considerable variation in size and quality of workmanship (Oldowan and Acheulean Stone Tools 2015). The Acheulean Hand axe is also known as a multipurpose tool, ranging from digging and cutting to hunting and butchering of …show more content…

The subjects’ skills were evaluated before and after they trained and practiced for the experiment. Also the subjects underwent MRI and DTI scans to monitor their brain activities during the course of the experiment. This experiment showed that in the production of Lower Paleolithic tool making, brain activity and functional connectivity in the dorsal prefrontal cortex is involved (stout et all, 2015) and also the observational understanding of Acheulean tool making involves increased demands for the recognition of abstract technological (stout et all,

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