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Significance This study addresses the earliest adhesives made in the African Middle Stone Age. We found a previously unknown way to produce an adhesive from Podocarpus conifer trees. Instead of… Click to show full abstract
Significance This study addresses the earliest adhesives made in the African Middle Stone Age. We found a previously unknown way to produce an adhesive from Podocarpus conifer trees. Instead of collecting adhesive substances in nature, people produced tar by distillation. We identify two pathways for making tar, an above-ground method that is “discoverable” and a more laborious underground process requiring imagination and skill. The results have implications for our interpretation of early fire-based technology in Africa. Podocarpus tar production is an excellent proxy for recognizing complex cognition in Middle Stone Age archaeological records.
Journal Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Year Published: 2022
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