Study shines light on East Asia's Stone Age tool scarcity
A study by archaeologist and primitive tool maker Metin Eren shines light on early humans in East Asia.
By Margaret Allen
ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ News
The long-held theory that early human ancestors in East Asia crafted their tools from bamboo and wood is much more complicated than originally conceived, according to a new study.
Research until now has failed to address a fundamental question: Is it even possible to make complex bamboo tools with simple stone tools?
Now an experimental archaeological study — in which a modern-day flint knapper replicated the crafting of bamboo knives — confirms that it is possible to make a variety of bamboo tools with the simplest stone tools.
However, rather than confirming the long-held "bamboo hypothesis," the new research shows there's more to the theory, says archaeologist Metin I. Eren, the expert knapper who crafted the tools for the study.
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