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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 26, 2025

Dissection, MicroCT Scanning and Morphometric Analyses of the Baculum
04:32

Dissection, MicroCT Scanning and Morphometric Analyses of the Baculum

Published on: March 19, 2017

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Quantifying differences in hominin flaking technologies with 3D shape analysis.

Will Archer1, Igor Djakovic2, Michel Brenet3

  • 1Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, National Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Geology, University of the Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa.

Journal of Human Evolution
|December 10, 2020
PubMed
Summary

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Unretouched stone flakes, abundant throughout prehistory, can reveal hominin behaviors. 3D geometric morphometrics accurately identify flake production strategies, aiding models of human evolution and migration.

Area of Science:

  • Archaeology
  • Paleoanthropology
  • Material Science

Background:

  • Hominin migration and adaptation models increasingly use genetic and climate data.
  • Stone artifact variability's contribution to these models remains debated.
  • Unretouched stone flakes are ideal for studying hominin behavior due to their ubiquity, preservation, and production across all tool-making groups.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate the efficacy of 3D geometric morphometrics in identifying stone flake production strategies.
  • To explore the potential of flake analysis in understanding hominin behavioral evolution.
  • To establish a method for analyzing flake form variability across space and time.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 717 3D scans of experimentally produced stone flakes.
Keywords:
Flaking technologiesHominin behaviorShape analysisStone artifacts

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  • Utilizing 5 distinct production strategies practiced by Pleistocene hominins.
  • Employing 3D geometric morphometrics to capture detailed flake form.
  • Comparing results with archaeological classifications from Middle Paleolithic assemblages in France.

    • Main Results:

    • High success rate in estimating flake production strategies, including early-stage reduction flakes.
    • 3D geometric morphometrics capture subtle strategy-related differences in flake formation.
    • Identified knapper decisions (platform selection, preparation, core management) reflected in flake morphology.
    • Developed a cross-validation approach for assessing flake form variability.

    Conclusions:

    • 3D geometric morphometrics offer a powerful, objective method for analyzing stone flake variability.
    • Flake analysis can significantly contribute to understanding hominin behavioral evolution and past population dynamics.
    • This approach allows for meaningful comparisons of archaeological assemblages across vast temporal and spatial scales.