Using microartifacts to infer Middle Pleistocene lifeways at Schöningen, Germany

Area of Science:

• Paleoanthropology and Lithic Technology
• Middle Pleistocene Archaeology

Background:

• Traditional archaeological focus on large lithic artifacts often overlooks smaller tools.
• The Schöningen site offers a unique context for studying hominin behavior at a lakeshore environment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the contribution of lithic microartifacts to understanding hominin lifeways.
• To analyze small flint artifacts found near an extinct elephant skeleton at the Schöningen site.

Main Methods:

• Holistic approach integrating morpho-technical analysis, experimental archaeology, and use-wear/residue analysis.
• Microscopic examination of 57 small and micro flint artifacts, debris, and bone retouchers.
• Analysis of microwear traces and microscopic residues on artifact working edges.

Main Results:

• Identified small artifacts as resharpening flakes, indicating tool maintenance.
• Found microwear traces and wood residues on 15 flakes, suggesting wood processing.
• Evidence of a natural flint fragment used for processing animal tissue, likely from the elephant carcass.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated the functional integration of lithic, osseous, and wood technologies by hominins.
• Provided 300,000-year-old evidence for in-situ tool transformations, curational, and expedient behaviors.
• Highlighted the significance of microartifacts in reconstructing hominin activities and landscape use.