Bigger is Better: Comments on Kuhn's Formal Approach to Mobile Tool Kits

Toby A. Morrow

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Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology Archaeological and Geological Studies Language and cultural evolution

Abstract

Kuhn (1994) argues that small lithic tools provide an optimal means of reducing the weight of mobile tool kits while maximizing potential utility. This assertion contradicts much of the current thinking about mobility and the organization of lithic technology and is at odds with the archaeological record. A flaw in Kuhn's equation for calculating the utility/mass ratio of retouched tools leads him to this erroneous conclusion. Problems with Kuhn's utility/mass ratio equation are described and an alternative formula is offered. The corrected formula indicates that larger stone tools maximize utility at a lower transport cost. Experimental evidence for additional advantages of larger stone tools is also provided.

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References

1979Organization and Formation Processes: Looking at Curated Technologies 1990Archaeological method and theory 1988Coming into the Country: Early Paleoindian Hunting and Mobility 1986Technological Organization and Settlement Mobility: An Ethnographic Examination 1994A Formal Approach to the Design and Assembly of Mobile Toolkits 1982Hafting and Retooling: Effects on the Archaeological Record

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