A new type of anvil in the Acheulian of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov, Israel

Abstract

We report here on the identification and characterization of thin basalt anvils, a newly discovered component of the Acheulian lithic inventory of Gesher Benot Ya‘aqov (GBY). These tools are an addition to the array of percussive tools (percussors, pitted stones and anvils) made of basalt, flint and limestone. The thin anvils were selected from particularly compact, horizontally fissured zones of basalt flows. This type of fissuring produces a natural geometry of thick and thin slabs. Hominins at GBY had multiple acquisition strategies, including the selection of thick slabs for the production of giant cores and cobbles for percussors. The selection of thin slabs was carried out according to yet another independent and targeted plan. The thinness of the anvils dictated a particular range of functions. The use of the anvils is well documented on their surfaces and edges. Two main types of damage are identified: those resulting from activities carried out on the surfaces of the anvils and those resulting from unintentional forceful blows ( accidents de travaille ). Percussive activities that may have been associated with the thin anvils include nut cracking and the processing of meat and bones, as well as plants.

Variability in an early hominin percussive tradition: the Acheulean versus cultural variation in modern chimpanzee artefacts

“…Percussion is a vital point of contact between the animal and human contexts, although it occurs in very different forms: perhaps 95% used by primates for yielding immediate resources, and perhaps more than 50% by humans for producing tools for future use. Until now, most studies of percussion in archaeology have concentrated on tool production and toolkits, rather than on those activities aimed at yielding immediate resources, with rare exceptions [62]. It is notable that across the many Acheulean assemblages considered here, published information about hammerstones and anvils of all kinds is far more restricted than the information about flaked artefacts.…”

“…Also relevant here are site complexes in the Middle East such as Gesher Benot Ya'aqov and 'Ubeidiya [62,63], and further South African sites such as Cave of the Hearths and Wonderwerk Cave [64,65]. Naturally, to take the output from more than a million years and to compare it with the contemporaneity of chimpanzee cultures strains analogy.…”

Nut Cracking Tools Used by Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and Their Comparison with Early Stone Age Percussive Artefacts from Olduvai Gorge

“…However, identifying the type of activity for which these objects were used is more problematic. At present, Gesher Benot Ya’aqov (Israel) is the only ESA site where it has been possible to link pounding tools to nut cracking, as the excellent preservation of the site has allowed identification of different nut species associated with pitted stones [47–49]. …”

The development of plant food processing in the Levant: insights from use-wear analysis of Early Epipalaeolithic ground stone tools

“…Early Lower Palaeolithic examples comprise cupmarks, anvils, hammerstones and pounders (e.g. [19][20][21][22][23][24]). Implements mainly operating through abrasive motions, such as grinding slabs and handstones (also known as metates and manos), seem to have developed later in South Africa (e.g.…”