New technology tells us which animal bones were used to make ancient tools
September 6, 2018 by Justin Bradfield, The Conversation
Animals played an important role in prehistoric societies. They were a source of food, raw material, and, sometimes, reverence. Their bones were also used to create tools – for instance, arrowheads. The use of animal bone as raw material for tools dates back at least 1.8 million years.
In several parts of the world certain animals and the tools made from their bones were held by their makers to be symbolically important. For instance, in South Africa the frequent depiction of certain animals such as eland and rhinoceros in rock art illustrates their cultural importance.
Some animals served as important symbols of power and religion among hunter-gatherer and Bantu-speaking farmer groups.
https://phys.org/news/2018-09-technology-animal-bones-ancient-tools.html
