A 115,000-year-old expedient bone technology at Lingjing, Henan, China

Activities attested since at least 2.6 Myr, such as stone knapping, marrow extraction, and woodworking may have allowed early hominins to recognize the technological potential of discarded skeletal remains equipped them with a transferable skillset fit for marginal modification utilization bone flakes. Identifying precisely when where expedient tools were used in prehistory nonetheless challenging task owing multiple natural anthropogenic processes that can mimic deliberately knapped bones. Here, we compare large sample faunal from Lingjing, 115 ka-old site China which has yielded important hominin rich lithic assemblages, fragments produced by experimentally fracturing Equus caballus long Our results provide set qualitative quantitative criteria help zooarchaeologists technologists distinguish intentional flake removal scars those resulting carcass processing activities. Experimental data shows extraction seldom generates diaphyseal bearing more than six arranged contiguously or interspersed series. Long presenting characteristics can, therefore, be interpreted being purposefully expediency tools. The identification, based on above experimental criteria, 56 Lingjing assemblage is consistent smaller size lithics found same layer. continuity gradient observed bones suggests latter tasks former less not effective.