Palaeolithic polyhedrons, spheroids and bolas over time and space

作者：Julia Cabanès, Antony Borel, Javier Baena Preysler, Antoine Lourdeau, Marie-Hélène Moncel · 发表于：PLoS ONE · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1371/journal.pone.0272135 · 被引用次数：16 · 研究领域：Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology、Archaeology and ancient environmental studies、Evolution and Paleontology Studies

Polyhedrons, spheroids and bolas (PSBs) are present in lithic series from the Lower Palaeolithic onwards and are found in several regions of the world. Nevertheless, very little is known about them. We propose here to summarise, illustrate and discuss the current state of our knowledge about these artefacts. Based on the available data in the literature and on our observations of several collections, we set up a database comprising 169 Palaeolithic assemblages with PSBs. Thanks to the statistical analysis of these data, we aim to highlight potential relationships between PSB characteristics (e.g., quantity, raw material) and assemblage composition and context, according to regions and chrono-cultural attributions. We also aim to discuss the question of artefacts from possible independent local histories, especially in Northwest Europe, where these objects are scarce. Our study concludes that hard stones (stones with high resistance to a physical constraint) available locally were generally selected to produce PSBs. Soft sedimentary rocks are suitable for their manufacture, and were selected too, whereas siliceous materials were left aside. We hypothesise that the scarcity of PSBs in Northwest Europe could result from a combination of cultural and environmental factors: it could be part of a regional tradition, influenced by the abundance of siliceous materials in the environment. In this region where the lithic production is widely made of flint, even though other materials w...