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Why invent the handle? Electromyography (EMG) and efficiency of use data investigating the prehistoric origin and selection of hafted stone knives

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dc.contributor.authorKey, Alastair
dc.contributor.authorFarr, Ian
dc.contributor.authorHunter, Robert
dc.contributor.authorMika, Anna
dc.contributor.authorEren, Metin I.
dc.contributor.authorWinter, Samantha L.
dc.date.accessioned2021-10-19T15:43:07Z
dc.date.available2021-10-19T15:43:07Z
dc.date.issued2021-09-14
dc.date.submitted2021-05-20
dc.date.updated2021-10-19T15:43:07Z
dc.description.abstractAbstract: For over 3 million years hominins held stone-cutting tools in the hand, gripping the portion of tool displaying a sharp cutting edge directly. During the late Middle Pleistocene human populations started to produce hafted composite knives, where the stone element displaying a sharp cutting edge was secured in a handle. Prevailing archaeological literature suggests that handles convey benefits to tool users by increasing cutting performance and reducing musculoskeletal stresses, yet to date these hypotheses remain largely untested. Here, we compare the cutting performance of hafted knives, ‘basic’ flake tools, and large bifacial tools during two standardized cutting tasks. Going further, we examine the comparative ergonomics of each tool type through electromyographic (EMG) analysis of nine upper limb muscles. Results suggest that knives (1) recruit muscles responsible for digit flexion (i.e. gripping) and in-hand manipulation relatively less than alternative stone tool types and (2) may convey functional performance benefits relative to unhafted stone tool alternatives when considered as a generalised cutting tool. Furthermore, our data indicate that knives facilitate greater muscle activity in the upper arm and forearm, potentially resulting in the application of greater cutting forces during tool use. Compared to unhafted prehistoric alternatives, hafted stone knives demonstrate increased ergonomic properties and some functional performance benefits. These factors would likely have contributed to the invention and widespread adoption of hafted stone knives during the late Middle Pleistocene.
dc.identifier.doi10.17863/CAM.77066
dc.identifier.eissn1866-9565
dc.identifier.issn1866-9557
dc.identifier.others12520-021-01421-1
dc.identifier.other1421
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/329617
dc.languageen
dc.publisherSpringer Berlin Heidelberg
dc.subjectOriginal Paper
dc.subjectStone knife
dc.subjectHandle
dc.subjectPerformance characteristics
dc.subjectHafting
dc.subjectPalaeolithic invention
dc.subjectErgonomics
dc.subjectGripping
dc.titleWhy invent the handle? Electromyography (EMG) and efficiency of use data investigating the prehistoric origin and selection of hafted stone knives
dc.typeArticle
dcterms.dateAccepted2021-07-28
prism.issueIdentifier10
prism.publicationNameArchaeological and Anthropological Sciences
prism.volume13
pubs.funder-project-idBritish Academy (pf160022)
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rioxxterms.versionVoR
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.1007/s12520-021-01421-1

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