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The Role of Experimental Knapping in Empirically Testing Key Themes in the Evolution of Lithic Technology: Reduction Intensity, Efficiency and Behavioural Complexity

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The Role of Experimental Knapping in Empirically Testing Key Themes in the Evolution of Lithic Technology: Reduction Intensity, Efficiency and Behavioural Complexity The role of experimental knapping in empirically testing key themes in the evolution of lithic technology: reduction intensity, efficiency and behavioural complexity Antoine Muller BA (archaeology) BA Honours (archaeology) A thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2017 School of Social Science Abstract Experimental knapping has complimented and stimulated lithic analyses for over a century. Throughout this period, the discipline has witnessed an increase in the scientific rigour and theoretical grounding with which these studies are conducted. This thesis charts these key trends and in doing so establishes a best-practice model of experimental knapping, the veracity of which is in turn tested using four new lithic experiments. These case-studies employ experimental knapping to advance our understanding of flake platform measurement, reduction intensity, technological efficiency, and behavioural complexity. The first case-study, Chapter 3, offers a more accurate and precise calliper-based method of flake platform measurement that relies on simple geometric approximations of platform shape rather than the inflexible and unreliable existing method of multiplying platform width by thickness. In Chapter 4, a new reduction intensity metric for backed blades, a hitherto overlooked tool-type, is developed and tested on the backed blades from an early Neolithic site in Turkey. This new metric allows a reconstruction of the raw material consumption patterns at the site, finding that the backed blades likely contributed to conserving the inhabitants’ scarce lithic raw material. Meanwhile, Chapter 5 outlines the results of a comparison of the raw material efficiency of eight different lithic technologies, finding that lithic technological efficiency was a generally ascending trend over the last 3.3 million years and that the main transition in efficiency occurred between the Lower to Middle Palaeolithic. On a similar time-scale, Chapter 6 explores the behavioural complexity of five different technologies by charting the relative levels of hierarchical organisation required for their production, finding equivalencies in the behavioural complexity required for the tool-kits of Neanderthals and their contemporary Homo sapiens. These four case-studies, coupled with a consideration of existing knapping experiments, allow an understanding of how experimental knapping is embedded in the broader archaeological research process, and ultimately tests the efficacy of a best-practice model of experimental knapping. This model identifies the initial scope, methodological control, and breadth of interpretations as the key variables dictating the validity of an experiment. While knapping experiments may differ markedly in their scope and control, they do not necessarily vary in their validity. Instead, it is the interplay of these variables that dictates the validity of experimentation. Within this best-practice model, lithic experiments are most robust when the scale of the initial scope, methodological control and ensuing interpretations are congruent, and when they involve explicit and falsifiable hypothesis testing. ii Declaration by Author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. iii Publications During Candidature Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles (Published) Muller, A. and C. Clarkson 2016 A new method for accurately and precisely measuring flake platform area. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 8:178-186. Muller, A. and C. Clarkson 2016 Identifying major transitions in the evolution of lithic cutting edge production rates. PLoS ONE 11(12):e0167244. iv Publications Included in This Thesis Chapter 3: Muller, A. and C. Clarkson 2016 A new method for accurately and precisely measuring flake platform area. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 8:178-186. Contributor Statement of contribution Antoine Muller (Candidate) Experimental design (90%) Analysis (90%) Writing (95%) Editing (80%) Chris Clarkson Experimental design (10%) Experimental sample (100%) Analysis (10%) Writing (5%) Editing (20%) Chapter 5: Muller, A. and C. Clarkson 2016 Identifying major transitions in the evolution of lithic cutting edge production rates. PLoS ONE 11(12):e0167244. Contributor Statement of contribution Antoine Muller (Candidate) Experimental design (30%) Experimental sample (30%) Analysis (90%) Writing (90%) Editing (80%) Chris Clarkson Experimental design (70%) Experimental sample (70%) Analysis (10%) Writing (10%) Editing (20%) For the list of author contributions relating to the submitted but unpublished articles, refer to the tables at the beginning of Chapters 4 and 6. v Contributions by Others to the Thesis Zoe Heighway performed a pilot study as part of an Honours project that developed and tested the method used in Chapter 5, and provided a portion of the data used in that chapter. Chapter 5 built on that pilot study by expanding the sample and analyses conducted. Dr Tyler Faith provided assistance with statistical analyses and insightful comments on the manuscripts presented here. Tierney Lu, Kasih Norman, Perri Braithwaite, Kathy Lai, and Jackie Child, participated in the inter- observer variability portion of Chapter 3. Statement of Parts of the Thesis Submitted to Qualify for the Award of another Degree Chapter 6 was based on a pilot study conducted by the author (AM), submitted as partial fulfilment of the requirements of an Honours degree at the University of Queensland, 2014. This chapter significantly expanded the sample, methodology, theory, and analytical scope of the pilot study. vi Acknowledgements I would like to sincerely thank my supervisors, Chris Clarkson and Andrew Fairbairn for their unending guidance, feedback and support throughout this process. A special thank you goes to Chris Clarkson for imparting and contributing his abundant expertise in lithic technology and knapping, on which this thesis so often relied. I also greatly appreciate the insightful comments made by the two anonymous reviewers. This project would not have been possible without the support of a great number of friends and colleagues. Thank you to Tierney Lu, Kasih Norman, Perri Braithwaite, Kathy Lai and Jackie Child for participating in an inter-observer variability study. Thank you also to Maddy Moyle and Kasih Norman who at Boncuklu assisted with artefact analysis and lithic illustration respectively. I am particularly grateful to Zoe Heighway whose pilot study formed the basis for one of the papers contained in this thesis and who kindly provided a portion of the data. A special thank you goes to Jacques Pelegrin for participating in knapping experiments and providing valuable insights and conversations. Thank you also to Ofer Bar-Yosef for valuable conversations throughout this project. I am also deeply grateful to Tyler Faith for patient advice on statistical analyses and for providing insightful comments on the manuscripts in this thesis. Emilija Nicolosi and Chat Marasinghe deserve many thanks as the laboratory technicians at the School of Social Science of the University of Queensland for equipment and logistical support as well as their tireless efforts in maintaining the smooth operation of the labs. I am also sincerely grateful to the funding bodies that facilitated this research, including an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship (RTP), a UQ School of Social Science fieldwork bursary, a UQCHU-UniQuest bursary, and an Australian Archaeological Association Student Research grant. Additionally, excavation at Boncuklu was funded by The British Institute in Ankara, British Academy (Research Development Award BR100077), Australian Research Council (DP120100969), National Geographic award (GEFNE 1-11) and University of Oxford (Wainwright Fund). Thank you also to the directors of the Boncuklu excavations, Douglas Baird, Andrew Fairbairn and Gökhan Mustafaoğlu, who allowed access to the lithic assemblage. Finally, to my friends and family, who offered an unending and unconditional supply of support
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