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From: JTEM <jtem01@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: sci.anthropology.paleo
Subject: Re: Why blade technology was developed
Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2025 00:57:31 -0500
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On 2/23/25 8:56 PM, Mario Petrinovic wrote:
>          Only the first 30 seconds of the video are important:
> https://youtu.be/cL3nWqvzfow?si=fz6wc48MFo36Bbbg
>          Literally there are *no* other purposes for blade technology, 
> even today. On the other hand, this particular job *demands* blades, 
> because you cannot cut one by one stem, the only senseful thing to do is 
> to cut them in a sheaf. And blade technology is ancient, I believe that 
> they have evidence 700ky - 800ky old.

That is a ridiculously arduous & complex task compared to using a
sharp edge to cut away some meat.

But I don't even think that was the start.

No, it probably started with using a shell (half a shellfish) to
pry open a new one to eat.

There is a half-a-million year old shell with lines scratched onto
it that look deliberate. At the very least that puts something
sharp together with shellfish... for certain.

Chimps are NOT an analog for human ancestors but there is some
overlap, and Chimps never bother with "Tools." They rip the
flesh apart and eat it raw.

Seafood is eaten raw all the time, meat is even eaten raw in many
cultures and certain was in the past. So anything approximating
the sophistication of a Chimp didn't need tools, didn't need fire.

But...

Opening shellfish would be oodles easier with something slim &
"Sharp" to pry between the two halves.

And when fire arose, it would make things even easier. The fire
would open the shellfish -- if they didn't open they were no
good to eat -- and hence what was unnecessary became habit and
eventually came the physical adaptations. So, what happened to
the blades to pry open the shells?

Some individual/groups followed fresh water sources inland and
adapted to the new environment. When they did they brought their
blades or the concept with them. And as new arrivals periodically
arrived, adding their DNA to the inland gene pool, they kept the
connection to the Waterside population and their tools alive.

Yes, the inland groups were very successful, spread out, began
to occupy and exploit new niche environments. The further they
got from the entry point -- the Horn of Africa/Rift Valley --
the less infusion of Waterside DNA they received... the more &
more their evolution was dictated by their immediate surroundings.

They became the dumb Chimps.



-- 
https://jtem.tumblr.com/tagged/The%20Book%20of%20JTEM/page/5