Composite hunting technologies from the Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene, Niah Cave, Borneo

Ma'anshan cave and the origin of bone tool technology in China

“…In addition, the set of indentations observed on the sides of this object could result from cordage wear produced by twine bound around the base of the point to attach it to a spear shaft. This interpretation, which needs to be tested experimentally, has been proposed at other contemporaneous and more recent sites from Southeast Asia (Barton et al, 2009;Pasveer, 2004;Piper and Rabett, 2009;Rabett, 2005;Rabett and Piper, 2012). The differences in manufacturing technique observed between the two barbed point tips reflect fundamentally distinct reduction sequences, which are unlikely to be the expression of the same technical system.…”

Behavioural Complexity and Modern Traits in the Philippine Upper Palaeolithic

“…The wood/bamboo tool hypothesis neither considers factors of tool mechanics and usage nor deals with the fact that large lithic assemblages are present in the archaeological record. It can certainly be assumed that tools and utilitarian objects were made of vegetal materials including bamboo and wood, but they were more likely an addition to the lithic toolkit than replacements such as the few bone tools found in Southeast Asia ( Barton et al 2009;Pawlik 2009a). Furthermore, the causality of how production of vegetal tools led to simplification of lithic industries has not been convincingly explained.…”

“…This kind of adhesive appears very similar to resin residues found on projectile points made of bone and stingray spine from the west mouth of Niah Cave in Borneo, dated to 11,700 -10,690 b.p. ( Barton et al 2009). The resins have been identified as deriving from Shorea spp., Agathis spp., or Canarium spp.…”

“…They are considered components of the european and African package (Ambrose 2010;deacon 2000;keeley 1982;wurz 1999). They are also regarded as a significant trait of behavioral modernity for Southeast Asia and the western Pacific region ( Barton et al 2009). However, hafting traces are easily overlooked or neglected in microwear analysis (Cahen et al 1979;keeley 1982).…”

Cross-cultural interaction on Wuvulu Island, Papua New Guinea: the perspective from use-wear and residue analyses of turtle bone artifacts

“…Microscopic use- wear analysis of bone artifacts has proved to be an excellent method for distinguishing diagnostic traces of manufacture and use (e.g. Barton et al, 2009). Following established methods for stone artifacts (Fullagar, 2006), an integrated use-wear/residue study was conducted using a combination of low and high power microscopic analysis of the turtle bone artifacts and extracted residues.…”