AI Image
Rope, twine and thread: Invisible technologies of the Stone Age
Phys.org • • science
Key Points:
- A 35,000-year-old ivory artifact called a lochstab, discovered in Germany's Hohle Fels cave, was initially thought to symbolize power but has been identified as a tool for making rope by twisting fibers through its perforations.
- The discovery highlights the critical but largely invisible role of soft technologies, like fiber and cordage, in prehistoric human survival, despite their poor preservation compared to stone and bone artifacts.
- Evidence shows fiber use dates back at least 50,000 years, with indications of hafting tools using cordage as far back as 250,000 years ago, a development that revolutionized tool use by enabling attachments like handles and spear shafts.
- Making cordage was labor-intensive and influenced the daily and seasonal routines of hunter-gatherers, requiring long periods of fiber collection and processing, which affected mobility and social organization.
- Sites like Schöningen and Hohle Fels reveal a complex technological world where stone, plant, and animal resources were interconnected, challenging the notion of the "Stone Age" as an era defined solely by stone tools.
