Archaeology of the Perishable

Selection and transport of materials for tools is ubiquitous throughout our species’ evolutionary history. Yet understanding early human material culture heavily skewed toward lithic technology. This poses challenges when reconstructing technical origins, as organic raw materials, especially plants, likely played a significant role despite their absence from the record until 300 kya. Studies plant-tool use by living apes can serve proxy to reconstruct such aspects behavior. Employing archaeological methods, we investigated procurement termite-fishing three chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) populations in Tanzania: Gombe, Issa, Mahale. All communities exploited plant sources immediate vicinity termite mounds, well farther away, reused them. However, at more parts were sourced per plant, with number removals decreasing distance mound increased. These disparities are caused environmental differences. Issa might try minimize costs what comparably open drier habitat fewer suitable available near mounds. Despite similar types being available, Mahale chimpanzees exclusively used bark tool manufacture, while various employed; these differences may reflect cultural variants. Our study highlights how factors shape technology identifies similarities selection processes inferred Oldowan users. The archaeology perishable, even if its infancy, providing new framework archaeologically invisible behavior own technological origins.