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« on: September 05, 2014, 11:32:35 AM » |
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By Jonathan O'Callaghan
About 1.4 million years ago the ancestors of modern man constructed what is believed to be the first-ever tool: the hand axe.
And now designers of reimagined what those primitive tools might be like if they came face to face with modern architecture.
The results are a series of objects that highlight some specific features of the multi-purpose tool that was once used to chop, cut, attack and more.
Tel-Aviv based designers have re-imagined a tool from 1.4 million years ago. The Man Made project used 3D scanning and printing to create different handles and grips. Pictured is one of the designs, a hand-held grip that could be placed in the palm of either the left or right hand
The Man Made project, an evolution of an earlier series called BC-AD, is the work of Tel-Aviv designers Dov Ganchrow and Ami Drach, the latter of whom passed away in 2012.
To create the tools they first gathered flint rocks of desirable size, shape and quality from the Negev desert in southern Israel.
They then moulded the fling into a pointed shape using a softer stone - a process known as knapping.
By chipping away at it the flint breaks, a similar technique that was used 1.4 million years ago.
‘Needless to say, this is also where the bleeding comes in,’ the researchers add, referring to the pain that can be induced from the shockwave of each strike.
Each flint hand axe was then 3D-scanned at the Hebrew University.
The digital hand axe files then had handles custom-designed to highlight the varying uses of the first-ever tools.
The handles were printed and then applied to each hand axe, joining two very distant technologies; flint knapping and 3D-printing.
The primitive object used by the distant ancestors of modern man is believed to be the first-ever tool. On the left here is pictured an adze, a tool probably used for woodworking in a chopping-pulling motion. On the right is an example of someone holding the simple hand-gripped version
To make their own tools the designers found flint rocks in the Negev desert in southern Israel. They then used softer stones to mould the rocks into the shape they wanted just like was done 1.4 million years ago, a process known as knapping. Shown is a two-handed grasping tool for a digging or pounding motion
THE FIRST TOOLS
Our large brains, long legs and ability to craft tools are often thought to have evolved together at the start of the Homo lineage up to 2.4 million years ago.
But climate and fossil evidence earlier this year shows these unique traits may have originated much earlier in our Australopithecus ancestors, between three and four million years ago.
The research also suggests that rather than forming as a single package, these key traits evolved individually, over a much longer timeframe.
The analysis, published in the journal Science, led the team to conclude that the ability of early humans to adjust to changing conditions ultimately enabled the earliest species of Homo to vary, survive, and begin spreading from Africa to Eurasia 1.85 million years ago.
One example of an ancient use for the tool was a handle that allowed it to be gripped in the palm of the hand to strike downwards.
Another had a longer handle with a hand grip to mimic an action similar to a mason hitting a chisel with a hammer.
The teardrop-shaped hand axe was a prehistoric stone tool that the researchers say was ‘probably the most popular tool ever, with a span of over 1.4 million years of use and found across several continents including Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.’
The abundance and span of the stone axe in the archaeological record has led to several theories explaining its longevity.
One is that its shape was an aesthetic preference, as ‘the pleasure we derive from symmetrical forms has been associated with our understanding that a person with a symmetrical body is probably healthy, and therefore desirable for mating,’ say the researchers.
The versatile hand axe could also be crafted into a spear, shown here, by extending itself wedge-like into a split piece of wood. A polymer part serves as a mediator between the organic and the mineral
How was a hand axe carried? This thought resides in the clip-on holster (shown) along with the notion that if you are already carrying a stone when threatened by a predator, you will likely throw it at the predator regardless of the time invested in making it
The use of latching is illustrated in the axe with interchangeable stone-holding heads (shown). Although there are several variations of the teardrop-form, most tools of this sort were thought to follow similar geometric guidelines, namely a directional shape with a sharp edge
They add: 'Additionally, the existence of oversized or unused hand axes has fostered the idea that perhaps its purpose was a courtship object, boasting an individual's dexterity, ability to plan ahead, or to make tools, and generally to be a good provider, traits increasing the chance of survival.
'A direct parallel can be drawn to underlying cues in today's material culture: extravagant cars, jewelry and accessories or brand names (presumably) signaling an individual's social and financial standing and hence, ability to provide.
'Some speculation remains as to the hand axe's exact use, but it is generally accepted that the hand axe was a multi-tool, a tool that could be wielded in several manners, and function in various ways within changing scenarios of utilization.'
It is added that although there are several variations of the teardrop-form exist, most follow similar geometric guidelines, namely a directional shape with a sharp edge.
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