Briefly describe the Oldowan, Acheuliean, and Mousterian tool types
& list the species that produced/used them.
Why are these tools considered evidence of "culture" in Hominins?
Based on your reading of the text, were Lower and Middle Paleolithic tools used for scavenging or hunting? Explain your reasoning.
The Oldowan tool type included core tools and sharp-edged flakes that were made by striking one stone against another stone, homo erectus primarily used this tool type for scavenging and hunting (Ember). The Mousterian tool has a smaller proportion of core tools and a bigger proportion of small flake tools. They were described as flakes that were often altered by striking
small flakes or chips from one or more edges and were primarily used by the Neanderthals, used for scraping hides or wood working (Ember). The Acheulian tool type contains more large tools created according to standardized designs and were made by knocking more flakes off most of the edges. Homo erectus also primarily used the Acheulian tool type for butchering large animals (Ember).
Each of these tool types show that culture in hominins because of how they were used and also
what they were used for. The tools that were created used in hunting, scavenging, and rituals. Homesites are where hominins stayed and stored their belongings, they mostly consisted of caves or rock shelters. Within these homesites were found the tools used, the bones and skins of animals hunted or scavenged (Ember). Homesites were even used for rituals of sorts. For example, there were seven skulls of cave bears found in Drachenloch cave stacked and preserved (Ember). Though this can be interpreted as something other than a ritual, for now archaeologists claim it to be a ritual. Based on what the text, I feel that lower and middle paleolithic tools were mainly used for hunting rather than scavenging. The reason I say this is because both of the primary uses of the Oldowan tool type and the Acheulian tool type were hunting. The Mousterian tool type was not
used for hunting but was used to scrape hides of potentially hunted game (Ember). Ember, C., Ember, M., & Peregrine, P. (n.d.). Anthropology
. Pearson Revel.
