The urge to collect in the prehistoric world: the desire to preserve the connection and memory with their ancient ancestors
Who doesn't have some kind of collection at home? One that evokes nostalgic feelings in us and produces endless joy every time we find a new item that enriches it? The urge to collect is one of the urges that characterize humans, and it turns out that it has accompanied us since the dawn of humanity. A new study by Tel Aviv University examined for the first time the instinct of collecting in the prehistoric world and what caused the ancient humans to recycle tools that had two life cycles. That is, tools that were produced at a certain ancient time, went out of use and were abandoned, and many years later were collected and reworked by humans from a later period. The researchers examined flint vessels from a half-million-year-old stratum at the Rabadi site in the south of the coastal plain and suggest that the urge to collect in the ancient world stemmed first and foremost from emotional aspects and the desire to preserve the connection and memory with their ancestors.
The research was conducted under the leadership of doctoral student Bar Efrati and Prof. Ran Barkai from the Department of Archeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at the Faculty of Humanities at Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with researchers Dr. Flavia Venditti from the University of Tübingen in Germany and Prof. Stella Nunziante Cesaro from the University of La Spezia in Italy. The study was published in the prestigious journal Scientific Reports from Nature.
Prehistoric vintage
Doctoral student Bar Efrati explains that the presence of tools with two life cycles is a known phenomenon in prehistoric sites all over the world, but according to her, this phenomenon has never been studied in depth. As part of the study, the researchers focused on one layer from the Rabadi site in the south of the coastal plain - an open, multi-layered prehistoric site about half a million years old that extends over a large area. According to the variety and richness of the finds, the researchers estimate that this was a favorite location in the landscape that the early man returned to again and again thanks to the abundance of animals, including elephants, that lived in the area. Also, the area has a lot of raw flint stones of good quality, and indeed most of the tools found in the layers were made from fresh flint.
Bar Efrati: "The big question we asked ourselves is why they did this. What caused ancient humans to collect and rework tools that their predecessors had made and left in the field many years before. At the Ravadi site it is clear that this was not due to a lack of raw material, as flints are found in abundance in the area, and most of the tools were made from fresh flint. Also, the tools that are returned are not unique or particularly suitable for a particular use, so it does not seem that the practice has a purely functional explanation."
Scars in the material reveal the past
The researchers explain that the key to identifying recycled tools and understanding their history is the patina - a chemical weathering layer that forms on the surface of flint when it is placed under the sky for a long period of time, exposed to sun and rain, heat and cold. Thus, after the person who made the tool abandoned it, a layer of patina was formed on it that is easy to identify, and it is distinctly different in color and texture from the scars that reveal the original fresh flint.
Throughout the study, the researchers examined 49 vessels with two life cycles, vessels that were obviously designed for use in the first and original phase, abandoned and covered with patina, and a long time later collected and reshaped, apparently also for use. The design in the second life phase removed the patina and exposed the fresh flint beneath the patina. Each tool, therefore, had two active edges designed for use. The two active ends of each vessel, the old and the new, were examined under two types of microscopes and through chemical methods, with the aim of locating signs of use and/or organic remains. In 28 of the vessels, signs of use were found on the old and/or new edges, and in 13 vessels, organic remains were found on the new edges indicating that they came into contact with animal bones and fat.
In addition, the researchers were surprised to discover that in the different periods the tools were used for very different actions: while the old edges mainly indicate a cutting action, the new edges actually indicate scrubbing (processing of soft materials such as skin and bone). Another fascinating find: the nature of the design of the tool in the second life cycle was precise and minimal, only at the edge, so that the tool was preserved for the most part as it was when it was first made, with the patina that covered it, with the exception of the newly designed active edge.
Recycled objects for souvenirs
"From the research findings, we estimate that the phenomenon of circulation in the prehistoric world stems from the meaning that humans attributed to items produced by their predecessors," says Prof. Ran Barkai. "It is possible to imagine an ancient man who walked in the field half a million years ago, and an old stone tool catches his eye, lying on the ground 'as a stone that cannot be replaced.' The item has meaning for him - a memory of his ancestors who made the tool or a connection to a certain place, and he picks it up, turns it in his hands, and decides to take it 'home'. Later he looks at the tool again, touches it and is happy with it, and realizes that if he uses it on a daily basis the connection and the memory will be preserved and even strengthened.
However, as a mark of respect to the first maker and previous generations, and to preserve the memory that the item represents, he is content with processing the edge and leaving the body of the tool as it was. What is it similar to? Maybe to a young, hardworking farmer who still plows the field with his great-great-grandfather's old tractor. The tractor is rusty, and squeaks, but knows well every furrow in the field. The young farmer changes a headlight here or a tire there, but makes sure not to change the good old tractor and sees it as an important continuity for the long family tradition and a significant part of his connection to the land. In fact, the more we continue to study the ancient humans, the more we learn to appreciate them and their intelligence and abilities. Moreover, we find again and again that they were not so different from us. From the current research, it may be possible to conclude that the instinct of collecting that nests in many of us is as old as the days of mankind, and that like us, our ancestors attached great importance and meaning to old objects and preserved them as a sign of memory and connection with ancient worlds and with important places in the landscape."
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