ANTH222 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Homo Habilis, Stone Tool, Homo Erectus
25 Oct 2018
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I. How can we recognize art from technology?
a. Jacque Maquet – “instrumental form” vs. “non-instrumental form”
b. Technology = “efficient” “instrumental” form
i. The form/function nexus design
ii. Instrumental = extraction energy from the world for use.
iii. Must be stereotyped = every time you do it, you do it the same way.
c. Art = “non-instrumental form”
i. Affect = psycho-social
ii. There for aesthetic pleasure.
iii. Cannot be stereotyped, has to be creative.
d. E.g. water jar
i. Technology: tall neck for grabbing, flat bottom for stability, restricted rim
prevents spilling and evaporation, capacious body to contain lots of liquid.
ii. Art: painted decoration for aesthetics.
II. Themes:
a. Overtime, stone tool technology is increasingly efficient.
i. C pebble tools:
1. What % of the rare raw material yields sharp edges.
2. Cutting edges replace your teeth.
3. Originally the cutting edge was not straight, so it was harder to cut
things with.
ii. Homo erectus hand axe:
1. Straighter cutting edge = more efficiency.
2. Bilateral symmetry
3. “Movius Line”
a. All of the technologies from India → West used bifaces
b. India → East used simple flakes and bamboo.
i. Bamboo tools replace stone tools in Eastern Asia.
iii. Blade technology = homo sapiens:
1. Flake that is twice as long as it is wide.
2. Blades are the most effective cutting tool – long and straight.
3. The working edge of a blade is sharper than a surgeon’s scalpel.
iv. Microliths
1. Stone tools with small blades on 2 sides.
b. Originally, these technologies took a million years to change. Now, we can hardly
wait a year for technological change.
c. Technology also tends to evolve in terms of technique.
i. Technology is the thing.
ii. Technique is the skills to use the technology.
iii. Hammer and anvil technique
1. Earliest technique – still used by primates
iv. Olduwan/pebble tool technology
1. Homo habilis
v. Biface technique
1. Only hitting one stone against the edge of the other to make
sharper edges.
