Cultural transmission of lithic artefact traditions : an experimental approach
Experimental methods for exploring the idea that cultural variation can be explained as part of a process analogous to that of biological evolution have been used in psychology to examine how human copying error effects the transmission of simple artefact form. Applying these methods in an archaeological framework, this study is the first of its kind to develop a programme of transmission chain experiments exploring different aspects of skill, social interaction and copying error and their effect on the evolution of artefact form in two different Palaeolithic technologies: blade production and Acheulean handaxe manufacture. In the blade replication experiment, form trajectories produced by two different levels of skill could be distinguished, with the more skilled knappers choosing to pass on the best match for blade length, in preference to shape or ridge pattern. In the Acheulean experiments, in conditions where loss of refinement features was expected, a surprising result was the consistent survival of planform symmetry. Where maintaining refinement was the focus of the teaching condition, thinning was achieved to a high level, without loss of size, but paradoxically, symmetry survived less well. It was
Page, S. N.
Cultural transmission of lithic artefact traditions : an experimental approach. Experimental methods for exploring the idea that cultural variation can be explained as part of a process analogous to that of biological evolution have been used in psychology to examine how human copying error effects the transmission of simple artefact form. Applying these methods in an archaeological framework, this study is the first of its kind to develop a programme of transmission chain experiments exploring different aspects of skill, social interaction and copying error and their effect on the evolution of artefact form in two different Palaeolithic technologies: blade production and Acheulean handaxe manufacture. In the blade replication experiment, form trajectories produced by two different levels of skill could be distinguished, with the more skilled knappers choosing to pass on the best match for blade length, in preference to shape or ridge pattern. In the Acheulean experiments, in conditions where loss of refinement features was expected, a surprising result was the consistent survival of planform symmetry. Where maintaining refinement was the focus of the teaching condition, thinning was achieved to a high level, without loss of size, but paradoxically, symmetry survived less well. It was
cultural_transmission lithic_artefact tradition experimental approach experimental_method explore idea cultural variation explain part process analogous biological evolution use psychology examine human copy error effect transmission simple artefact form applying method archaeological framework study first kind develop programme transmission chain explore different_aspect skill social_interaction copy error effect evolution artefact form two_different palaeolithic technology blade production acheulean manufacture blade replication form trajectory produce two_different level skill could distinguish skilled choose pas best match blade length preference shape ridge pattern acheulean condition loss refinement feature expect surprising consistent survival symmetry maintain refinement focus teach condition thin achieve high level without loss size paradoxically symmetry survive less_well