Plots hardness, density and volume loss data.

The evolution of human behaviour is marked by key decision-making processes reflected in technological variability in the early archaeological record. As part of the technological system, differences in raw material quality directly affect the way that humans produce, design and use stone tools. The selection, procurement and use of various raw materials requires decision-making to evaluate multiple factors such as suitability to produce and design tools, but also the materials’ efficiency and durability in performing a given task. Therefore, characterizing the physical properties of various lithic raw materials is crucial for exploring changes in human interactions with their natural environment through time and space and for understanding their technological behaviour. In this paper, we present the first step in an ongoing program designed to understand the decision-making criteria involved in the use of raw materials by the early Acheulian tool-makers at the Melka Wakena (MW) site-complex, located on the Ethiopian highlands. We present the results of the first experimental step, in which we identified and measured the engineering properties of raw materials in the lithic assemblages. These data serve as an objective, quantifiable baseline for natural experiments as well as archaeological inquiries into the technological decision-making processes of early Pleistocene hominins in Africa.

人类行为的演化，以早期考古记录中由技术多样性所反映出的关键决策过程为标志性特征。作为技术系统的组成部分，原材料品质差异会直接影响人类制作、设计与使用石器的方式。对各类原材料的选择、获取与使用，需要通过决策评估多重因素：不仅要考量制作与设计工具的适配性，还需评估材料在完成特定任务时的效能与耐用性。因此，对各类石质原材料的物理特性进行表征，对于探究不同时空背景下人类与自然环境的互动变迁，以及理解其技术行为而言，均至关重要。本文介绍了一项持续推进的研究计划的首个阶段成果，该计划旨在解析埃塞俄比亚高地梅尔卡瓦克纳（Melka Wakena, MW）遗址群中，早期阿舍利石器制造者在使用原材料时所遵循的决策标准。本文同时呈现了该研究首个实验阶段的成果：研究人员对石制品组合中的原材料的工程特性进行了识别与测量。这些数据可为非洲早更新世古人类的技术决策过程相关的自然实验与考古学探究，提供客观且可量化的基准参照。