ABSTRACT
[Abstract: In order to make effective stone tools people need to have access to particular kinds of rocks, and obtaining suitable raw materials can present a number of logistical and strategic challenges. Several decades of research on Palaeolithic raw material selection and transport provide a rich background for discussing the evolution of raw material management systems during the Palaeolithic. Even the earliest toolmakers dealt with the uneven distribution of knappable materials by moving artefacts or unmodified stones around the landscape. Over time strategies for managing raw materials became more diverse and more complex. This is reflected in the scales of raw material movement as well as in the techniques used to create more portable artefacts and to extend the lives of tools and cores. These developments reflect changes in the ecology, mobility and territorial behaviour of hominins as well as the growth of inter-group exchange serving social and economic ends.]
