Ancient Tool Makers Embraced Vibrant Hues - Ancient people in the Stone Age took delight in crafting vibrant toolsets
### Discovered: African Stone Age People Preferred Colorful Tools and Travelled Far for Raw Materials
A groundbreaking study has revealed that Stone Age people in Africa, particularly during the Middle Stone Age (MSA), had a preference for colorful tools made from raw materials like ochre, chert, flint, obsidian, green chalcedony, red jasper, and black chert. While the preference for colored raw materials might not have been based on color itself, early humans were willing to travel considerable distances to obtain materials that offered practical advantages for toolmaking.
The international research team, led by Dr. Gregor Bader from the Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology and the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen, compared stone tools with natural rock formations in a distant valley at the borders of South Africa and Mozambique. They found that the colors of the materials used for Stone Age tools were consciously selected at different times, and the stones had the same geochemical fingerprint as corresponding rock formations in the Mgwayjza valley, which are 20 to 100 kilometers away.
The hunters and gatherers walked between 30 and 100 kilometers to collect certain colorful raw materials like red jasper, green chalcedony, and black chert. Green chalcedony and red jasper were often found together in the same valley and river deposits. Simple stone tools like scrapers and points were produced from these colorful raw materials, and the distance between the rock formations and the places where the stones were used is considerable, according to Bader.
The preference for certain colors in Stone Age tools changed over time. In the Middle Stone Age (40,000-28,000 years ago), black and white chert, green chalcedony, and red jasper were frequently used. In the later Stone Age (30,000-2,000 years ago), red jasper was particularly in demand. However, the researchers cannot definitively say whether the colors of the materials had a symbolic meaning for Stone Age humans.
An exchange of materials with other Stone Age human groups is possible. The study suggests that Stone Age humans made a conscious effort to select different materials for their tools at different times, which could indicate a level of trade and cooperation between groups. The researchers examined stone tools up to 40,000 years old from four sites at the borders of South Africa and Mozambique.
The use of heat treatment to enhance the properties of raw materials further highlights the resourcefulness and technological sophistication of Stone Age people in Africa. This technique, which involved heating stones to make them more flakable, was used at least 72,000 years ago, and possibly as early as 164,000 years ago, in southern Africa. This level of technological expertise suggests that early humans were highly adaptable and willing to invest effort in optimizing their toolmaking processes.
The study provides valuable insights into the technological capabilities and resourcefulness of early humans in Africa. It demonstrates that Stone Age people were not only skilled toolmakers but also resourceful travellers, willing to go great lengths to obtain the best raw materials for their tools. Further research is needed to understand the symbolic significance of the colors used in Stone Age tools and the extent of trade and cooperation between different Stone Age human groups.
The community policy could be implemented to support the study of ancient toolmaking by providing funds for research related to health-and-wellness, such as ensuring researchers have sufficient fitness-and-exercise facilities to work optimally. The employment policy could be amended to foster collaboration and cooperative efforts among researchers from various institutes, emulating the potential trade and cooperation between Stone Age human groups.
