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On the Evolution of Tool‐Using Behavior 1
Author(s) -
LANCASTER JANE B.
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1968.70.1.02a00060
Subject(s) - pleistocene , human evolution , radiometric dating , perspective (graphical) , paleontology , archaeology , simple (philosophy) , biological evolution , geology , geography , computer science , biology , epistemology , philosophy , artificial intelligence , genetics
New archeological discoveries from the Lower Pleistocene in Africa, the advent of radiometric dating techniques, and recent observations on the behavior of free‐ranging nonhuman primates can be combined to provide a fresh perspective on the evolution of tool‐using behavior. The Lower Pleistocene in which relatively simple Oldowan tools are associated with small‐brained forms lasted over two million years and represents over 80 percent of human history. These discoveries suggest that tool‐making and tool‐using are behavior patterns that emerged much more slowly in the course of human evolution than was previously thought.