Stuck in the middle with glue: Performance testing of Middle Palaeolithic and Middle Stone Age adhesives

By seeking aspects other than symbolism from the archaeological record to recognise fully modern behaviour, further insight can be obtained about human cognition during the Middle Palaeolithic (MP) and Middle Stone Age (MSA). Ochre, and possibly beeswax or fat, is believed to have been purposefully used to physically alter the performance of adhesives, and is seen as some of the best evidence of advanced cognition outside of the use of symbolism. However, it is currently unclear how efficient different adhesive recipes are, how much specific ingredients influence the performance, and how difficult it may have been for those ingredients to be combined to maximum effect. I conducted a series of laboratory based lap shear and impact tests, following modern adhesive testing standards, in order to determine the effects of specific ingredients and ingredient ratios. I focused on resin, as it is the only chemically identified MSA adhesive, but also included tar because of its presence in...Show moreBy seeking aspects other than symbolism from the archaeological record to recognise fully modern behaviour, further insight can be obtained about human cognition during the Middle Palaeolithic (MP) and Middle Stone Age (MSA). Ochre, and possibly beeswax or fat, is believed to have been purposefully used to physically alter the performance of adhesives, and is seen as some of the best evidence of advanced cognition outside of the use of symbolism. However, it is currently unclear how efficient different adhesive recipes are, how much specific ingredients influence the performance, and how difficult it may have been for those ingredients to be combined to maximum effect. I conducted a series of laboratory based lap shear and impact tests, following modern adhesive testing standards, in order to determine the effects of specific ingredients and ingredient ratios. I focused on resin, as it is the only chemically identified MSA adhesive, but also included tar because of its presence in the MP, and gum in order to compare my results with previously conducted experiments. Additives tested include different proportions of ochre and beeswax with resin and gum, and charcoal with tar. Standardised tests have proven to be a fast and accurate method of comparing prehistoric adhesives, and have shown scope for potential performance testing in different simulated environmental conditions, and of different haft types. My results further support the hypothesis that high levels of skill and knowledge were required by early modern humans to consistently produce the most effective compound adhesives.Show less

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Stuck in the middle with glue: Performance testing of Middle Palaeolithic and Middle Stone Age adhesives