Joanna Fairlie

Observing and coding ancient hominin tool-use behaviours. Can what we see support hypotheses about cognitive change through evolutionary time?

I have recently completed a PhD in Palaeoanthropology, or in other words in the study of human evolution based on relevant contents of the archaeological record for the time periods in question. My question was what differences in cognitive ability (if any) are implied between the ability of earlier groups of hominins (human ancestors) to make reductive stone tools, and the ability of some later groups to also make hafted or combinatorial tools. The time period relevant to this question stretches between about 2.6 million years ago and about 40,000 years ago. I will start with a brief summary of the archaeology and pre-history involved, particularly in respect of the tools that provide the evidence-base for the research. Then I will explain the methods that I used to code tool-making behaviours, and the results generated by the coding process. Finally I will discuss the conclusions that I came to about cognitive change over the period in question and suggest some possible connections with brain architecture.