Journeys in space and time: assessing the link between Acheulean handaxes and genetic explanations
Journeys in space and time: assessing the link between Acheulean handaxes and genetic explanations
In a recent paper Corbey and colleagues argued that there may be a genetic component to Acheulean handaxe manufacture across the Old World. They mention innovative work by Stephen Lycett and Noreen von Cramon-
Taubadel who argued that assemblages of handaxes will show less handaxe shape variability the further they are away from Africa. This is because handaxe shape conforms to a genetic model of loss of diversity resulting from
serial bottlenecking. The model linked material culture to hominin demography. Here I argue that there is no loss of shape with time and geographical distance from Africa, merely a tacking of outline form across potential
morphological space as a result of a number of different factors which will vary with place and time. I use a
modified version of Lycett and von Cramon-Taubadel's methodology, and 2D geometric-morphometrics to show
this.
Acheulean , handaxe, symmetry, Middle Pleistocene
403-414
Mcnabb, mac
59e818b1-3196-4991-93eb-75ed9c898e71
Mcnabb, mac
59e818b1-3196-4991-93eb-75ed9c898e71
Mcnabb, mac
(2017)
Journeys in space and time: assessing the link between Acheulean handaxes and genetic explanations.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 13, .
Abstract
In a recent paper Corbey and colleagues argued that there may be a genetic component to Acheulean handaxe manufacture across the Old World. They mention innovative work by Stephen Lycett and Noreen von Cramon-
Taubadel who argued that assemblages of handaxes will show less handaxe shape variability the further they are away from Africa. This is because handaxe shape conforms to a genetic model of loss of diversity resulting from
serial bottlenecking. The model linked material culture to hominin demography. Here I argue that there is no loss of shape with time and geographical distance from Africa, merely a tacking of outline form across potential
morphological space as a result of a number of different factors which will vary with place and time. I use a
modified version of Lycett and von Cramon-Taubadel's methodology, and 2D geometric-morphometrics to show
this.
Text
Journeys in Time and Space corrected Ms
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 13 April 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 28 April 2017
Keywords:
Acheulean , handaxe, symmetry, Middle Pleistocene
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 412206
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/412206
ISSN: 2352-409X
PURE UUID: 1cedfab0-6c99-45b9-b4ac-762c8cb48c1a
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Date deposited: 13 Jul 2017 16:31
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 05:31
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