primate archaeology experiment

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Primate archaeology

2009, Nature

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Primate tool use has profound implications for understanding the evolution of human technology and behavior. This paper introduces 'primate archaeology,' an interdisciplinary field that explores the material culture of all primates to provide a comprehensive framework for studying tool use and its impacts on primate evolution. The comparison between human and non-human primate artifact behaviors unveils new insights into the origins of our species' complex technology and social structures.

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Since its inception, archaeology has traditionally focused exclusively on humans and our direct ancestors. However, recent years have seen archaeological techniques applied to material evidence left behind by non-human animals. Here, we review advances made by the most prominent field investigating past non-human tool use: primate archaeology. This field combines survey of wild primate activity areas with ethological observations, excavations and analyses that allow the reconstruction of past primate behaviour. Because the order Primates includes humans, new insights into the behavioural evolution of apes and monkeys also can be used to better interrogate the record of early tool use in our own, hominin, lineage. This work has recently doubled the set of primate lineages with an excavated archaeological record, adding Old World macaques and New World capu- chin monkeys to chimpanzees and humans, and it has shown that tool selection and transport, and discrete site formation, are universal among wild stone-tool-using primates. It has also revealed that wild capuchins regularly break stone tools in a way that can make them difficult to distinguish from simple early hominin tools. Ultimately, this research opens up opportunities for the development of a broader animal archaeology, marking the end of archaeology’s anthropocentric era.

The Viking longship is one of the most dominant images of the medieval Scandinavian culture, as evidenced by the various archaeological data, rich iconography and innumerable mentions in contemporary chronicles and Old Norse sagas. However, the majority of archaeological research has focused on the material remains and on the technological aspects of its construction and its practical use. Undoubtedly, the study of the ship itself is a crucial step in the process of understanding the principles of Viking Age shipbuilding and its structural evolution, however, it should be supplemented with an interpretation of the agency those ships had and their influence in society. There is reason to believe that the longship acted as a symbol, not only of social status and wealth but also of authority among Scandinavian rulers of the 9th to the 11th century, triggering a cycle of competition and comparison between them and their vessels. The availability of archaeological evidence of Viking longships provides us with ample information to study the craftsmanship of the era, however, it can only assist in the understanding of Viking Age society to a limited degree. On the other hand, a more in-depth examination of the ship’s abundant imagery and extensive utilization of the written textual evidence can considerably contribute to our investigation regarding the metaphorical and symbolic meaning of the longship as well as its importance to Viking Age society. Consequently, this study concentrates on three aspects: the shipbuilding tradition, the iconography of the ship and the testimonies of the contemporary written sources.

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Thanks to its extensive ore deposits, the Siegerland has a rich mining and smelting history, whose beginnings date back to the Pre-Roman Iron Age. Large-scale exploitation of ores in the region possibly began as early as the 5th century B.C. and was especially intense from the 3rd to the end of the 1st century B.C., when an economic region focusing on steel production developed. Given the number and state of preservation of sites connected to metallurgy, as well as the degree of specialisation of this mining landscape, the Siegerland can be counted among the most important production areas of Iron Age central Europe. A co-operative project between the Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum, the Ruhr-University Bochum and the LWL-Archäologie für Westfalen, Olpe office, funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, has explored the Iron Age mining landscape of the Siegerland. The project focused on the reconstruction of production chains, from iron ore to the finished product, as well as on the economic area itself and its development. This was achieved through large-scale surveys, geophysical prospection and archaeological excavation of selected sites. In addition, we carried out archaeometallurgical analyses on production residues and the ores themselves, as well as archaeobotanical and geoarchaeological investigations in order to reconstruct the natural landscape. This publication presents the results of the archaeological surveys, excavations and mapping. The work of the project team is considerably broadened through the analysis of prior excavations and maps, beginning with late 19th century work. Most of these investigations could be included and are here published for the first time.

Anglo-Indians are often overlooked in the discourse on the independence of India and Pakistan. However, despite their small numbers, Anglo-Indians punched above their weight and had a significant presence in various critical fields, as well as active and robust and political organisations. This paper traces the development of Anglo-Indian politics in the Punjab, a province which (like Bengal) was partitioned in 1947. Starting with the general Anglo-Indian quest to locate both their identity and nationality in the 1940s, this paper investigates why and how the community leaders in the Punjab not only broke with the central leadership but also argued for a very novel, 'Anglo-Muslim' identity, as they began supporting the Muslim League. This change of stance was much to the chagrin of the central leadership which, by 1947, was firmly tied to the Indian National Congress. This paper thus not only substantially improves our understanding of the politics of the Anglo-Indians during partition, especially at a provincial level, but enables us to understand the manoeuvrings for survival of small communities at a time when the focus seemed to be on only the Muslims and Hindus (and Sikhs in the context of the Punjab).

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• Published: 16 July 2009

Primate archaeology

• Michael Haslam 1 ,
• Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar 1 ,
• Victoria Ling 1 ,
• Susana Carvalho 1 ,
• Ignacio de la Torre 2 ,
• April DeStefano 3 ,
• Andrew Du 3 ,
• Bruce Hardy 4 ,
• Jack Harris 3 ,
• Linda Marchant 5 ,
• Tetsuro Matsuzawa 6 ,
• William McGrew 1 ,
• Julio Mercader 7 ,
• Rafael Mora 8 ,
• Michael Petraglia 1 ,
• Hélène Roche 9 ,
• Elisabetta Visalberghi 10 &
• Rebecca Warren 4  

Nature volume  460 ,  pages 339–344 ( 2009 ) Cite this article

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All modern humans use tools to overcome limitations of our anatomy and to make difficult tasks easier. However, if tool use is such an advantage, we may ask why it is not evolved to the same degree in other species. To answer this question, we need to bring a long-term perspective to the material record of other members of our own order, the Primates.

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Acknowledgements

We thank R. Foley and the US National Science Foundation Revealing Hominid Origins Initiative. The University of Cambridge, the Galton Institute and King’s College, Cambridge, UK, sponsored the symposium ‘Primatology Meets Palaeoanthropology 2: The Origins of Percussive Technology’, held in October 2008 at the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies in Cambridge.

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Michael Haslam, Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar, Victoria Ling, Susana Carvalho, William McGrew & Michael Petraglia

Institute of Archaeology, University College London, London WC1H 0PY, UK

Ignacio de la Torre

Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, USA,

April DeStefano, Andrew Du & Jack Harris

Department of Anthropology, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio 43022, USA,

Bruce Hardy & Rebecca Warren

Department of Anthropology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, USA,

Linda Marchant

Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan,

Tetsuro Matsuzawa

Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada,

• Julio Mercader

Division de Prehistoria, Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain

Rafael Mora

Maison de l’Archéologie et de l’Ethnologie, CNRS, Paris 92023, France,

Hélène Roche

Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Rome 00197, Italy

Elisabetta Visalberghi

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The Monkey Stone Age: A Glimpse into Primate Archaeology

Documenting primate stone tool use in real-time: the case of coiba national park.

The white-faced capuchin monkeys of Coiba National Park, Panama, have emerged as unexpected practitioners of stone tool use, offering a unique opportunity for primate archaeology in real-time. This fascinating discovery sheds light on the evolution of tool use among non-human primates and poses intriguing questions about its origins and transmission.

A Botanist's Discovery Leads to New Frontiers in Archaeology

In 2004, Alicia Ibáñez, a botanist exploring Coiba National Park, observed white-faced capuchin monkeys using rocks to crack open sea almonds. This seemingly mundane observation sparked intrigue among scientists, eventually reaching UC Davis anthropologist Nicolas Zwyns and his student Meredith Carlson. Carlson's journey into primate archaeology was born from this serendipitous encounter, leading to groundbreaking research on the origins and spread of stone tool use among capuchins.

Investigating Percussion Behavior in Capuchin Monkeys

For the past six years, Carlson has delved into the phenomenon of stone tool use among white-faced capuchins inhabiting Coiba and Jicarón islands. While multiple populations exist on each island, only select groups exhibit percussion behavior, utilizing rocks to crack open sea almonds, hermit crabs, and coconuts. This selective adoption raises intriguing questions about the cultural transmission and evolutionary drivers of tool use in primates.

Carlson's extensive fieldwork involves observing and recording the monkeys' tool use behaviors, meticulously documenting each instance of stone percussion and its outcomes. Through this painstaking process, she aims to understand the underlying motivations and mechanisms driving the adoption and transmission of stone tool use within capuchin communities.

Exploring Origins and Hypotheses

In a paper published by Royal Society Open Science 1 , Zwyns and his team propose four hypotheses regarding the origin and function of stone tool use in animals. These hypotheses range from resource availability to embedded food extraction. Yet, the precise origins of capuchin stone tool use remain elusive, prompting further investigation into the complex interplay of ecological, social, and cognitive factors shaping primate behavior.

The ongoing research in Coiba National Park offers a valuable opportunity to test and refine these hypotheses, providing valuable insights into the evolutionary pathways that led to the emergence of stone tool use in primates. By analyzing the ecological context, social dynamics, and cognitive abilities of capuchin monkeys, researchers hope to unravel the mysteries of their stone tool traditions and shed light on the broader implications for understanding human evolution.

Primate Archaeology: Bridging Past and Present

Carlson's pioneering work in primate archaeology represents a novel intersection of anthropology and primatology. By documenting stone tool use in real-time and analyzing its archaeological implications, she seeks to unravel the mysteries of human evolution and behavior. Through her fieldwork in Coiba National Park, Carlson offers invaluable insights into the dynamic relationship between living primates and their material culture, illuminating the evolutionary pathways that shaped our ancestors' journey into the Stone Age.

As the field of primate archaeology continues to evolve, Carlson's research stands at the forefront, paving the way for new discoveries and a deeper understanding of the complex behaviors and adaptations that have shaped primate societies throughout history. By bridging the gap between past and present, Carlson and her colleagues are not only unraveling the mysteries of the monkey stone age but also shedding light on the broader dynamics of cultural evolution in both human and non-human primates.

Barrett, B. J., Monteza-Moreno, C. M., Dogandžić, T., Zwyns, N., Ibáñez, A., & Crofoot, M. C. (2018). Habitual stone-tool-aided extractive foraging in white-faced capuchins, Cebus capucinus . Royal Society Open Science , 5 (8), 181002. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.181002

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