Archaeologica.org

Minimalist wrote:I thought we were talking about South Africa.

Until recently, many archaeologists believed in an event they dubbed the Great Leap Forward, or the Upper Paleolithic Revolution. Some 40,000 to 50,000 years ago, they theorized, Homo sapiens sapiens underwent some kind of neural reorganization—perhaps due to a genetic mutation–and suddenly became accomplished artists, jewelry makers, fishers, and sophisticated tool makers.

Dissenting archaeologists, however, suggested that the transition to behavioral modernity was a gradual affair unfolding over hundreds of thousands of years. And recently evidence of a slow transition has accumulated. At Blombos Cave in South Africa, for example, archaeologists found 75,000-year-old shell beads, 80,000 year-old bone tools, as well as possible evidence of fishing—all indicators pointing to modern thinking and behavior.

Now Lombard and Phillipson have come up with superb evidence of a much more sophisticated human behavior—the making of bows and arrows– 64,000 years ago.

Minimalist wrote:Let's drag the topic back on point then.
http://archaeology.org/blog/?p=1071

Now Lombard and Phillipson have come up with superb evidence of a much more sophisticated human behavior—the making of bows and arrows– 64,000 years ago.

Digit wrote:One of the questions associated with some of the harder materials used as beads is simple, how did they drill them?
An electron microscope might answer that, but AFAIK no one has tried it, yet.
Taking George's view I would point out that development of the technique, for drilling stones for example, takes a lot more thought, and patience, than simply buying a drill today and drilling a hole with it.
I can suggest a number of methods that might have been used, but none of them are exactly rapid! The driving force behind such an activity must have been considerable.

Roy.

Digit wrote:What was the drill George?
Small beads might be more difficult to handle but all things being equal somewhat quicker than a larger one to produce.

Roy.

Minimalist wrote:As you well know I agree about the boats but not every discussion has to be about them.

then you subscribe to HE being capable of logical reasoning, spatial perspective, projected imagination, and coordinated collaboration (language)!

Minimalist wrote:

then you subscribe to HE being capable of logical reasoning, spatial perspective, projected imagination, and coordinated collaboration (language)!

Yes but we have no evidence of cosmetic or symbolic use going back that far. We can speculate that HE had some sea-going capacity because they reached islands to which they could have only sailed or flew and I'm not ready to grant them the invention of the airplane at this time.

Is it reasonable that there would have been some degree of personal decoration? Yes. But I cannot assert that because I find something reasonable that it must be true. To do that would be 'religious.'