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Stone toolmaking energy expenditure differs between novice and expert toolmakers.

Justin Pargeter^1,2, Adela Cebeiro¹, Stephanie B Levy^3,4

¹Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, USA.

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

|September 17, 2024

Summary

Expert stone toolmakers expend less energy to produce flakes than novices. This skill acquisition in Oldowan-style toolmaking significantly reduces metabolic costs, impacting human evolution and energy allocation strategies.

Keywords:

Oldowan energy expenditure human evolution skill stone tools

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Area of Science:

Paleoanthropology
Human Evolution
Archaeological Science

Background:

Stone toolmaking is a hallmark of human evolution.
Understanding the energetic costs of early technologies is crucial for reconstructing hominin behavior.
Skill acquisition in lithic technology has potential bio-cultural implications.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the energetic costs of Oldowan-style flake production.
To determine how differences in toolmaking skill influence these energetic costs.

Main Methods:

Nine participants (novice and expert) engaged in a 2-hour experimental knapping session.
Energy expenditure was measured using open-circuit indirect calorimetry.
Lithic artifacts (cores and flakes) were analyzed for mass and morphology; video recordings captured technique.

Main Results:

Experts exhibited significantly lower energy expenditure compared to novices.
Experts produced more flakes and reduced greater core mass per unit of energy expenditure.
Distinct body positions, hand grips, and artifact morphologies were observed between skill groups.

Conclusions:

Skilled stone tool performance reduces the metabolic costs of production.
Skill acquisition in lithic technology has significant bio-cultural impacts.
Expertise in knapping influences selective pressures and skill reproduction reliability in early hominins.