11 Dec
2014
11 Dec
'14
11:48 a.m.
From: Noel Chiappa
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2014 5:59 AM
The discovery of metals certainly had a huge impact,
albeit that it was
many thousands of years ago now!
[snip]
And it all started with sharp stones... :-)
Interestingly, metal affected stone technology for a while.
In Late Neolithic/Chalcolithic Europe, we find polished stone axes of a
shape which makes no sense from a functional perspective. (They would
have been too fragile for actual use.) These are associated with grave
goods of apparently high status individuals, and are thought to have been
symbolic of their status.
The shape of these axes mimics that of *bronze* axes found in the Central
Asian steppes and further south. This includes spines which mimic marks
from mold casting, so that it is clear that the
polished stone axes are
the later imitative technology.
(A lot of ink was wasted about 40 years ago discussing the cultural
significance of the advent of the bronze axes into Europe, but let that go.)
Rich
Rich Alderson
Vintage Computing Sr. Systems Engineer
Living Computer Museum
2245 1st Avenue S
Seattle, WA 98134
mailto:RichA at LivingComputerMuseum.org
http://www.LivingComputerMuseum.org/