Assessing the Durability of Oldowan Stone Tools in South Africa: Implications for Quartz Selectivity and Use

Raw material selection and transport behaviors are important constraints on Oldowan lithic production strategies. While patterns in toolstone preference at Oldowan sites suggest that physical properties relating to fracture mechanics played a key role in determining selectivity, the durability of rock types was also a critical concern. However, few studies have examined the influence of raw material performance, during subsistence activities, on procurement strategies in the Oldowan industry. Here we report on an actualistic butchery experiment used to measure attrition rates in quartz and quartzite flakes for the purpose of examining raw material selectivity in Oldowan sites from South Africa. Interpretations are focused on the two largest assemblages in this region, Sterkfontein Member 5 East and Swartkrans Member 1 and why over ninety percent of artefacts from these sites reflect a technological preference for the use of vein quartz.