Van Ryneveld, Karen2015-11-242015-11-242003http://hdl.handle.net/10539/18830Thesis (M.Sc. (Palaeoarchaeology))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Science, 2003This project was inspired by the identification of 108 bone tools (dated roughly to between 2 and 1 Mya) from sites in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, Gauteng. An experimental study was lUldertaken in an attempt to answer the basic question of "what caused modification marks on early hominid bone tools?" Five experimental tools were used in each of seven different task oriented experiments. The purpose of this project was to broaden the existing database of experimentally employed bone tools and the associated process-pattern relationships. Analysis was based on an optical comparison of primarily microscopically, but also macroscopically visible usewear patterns observed on the experimental tools. The experimental data were then used to make inferences on a middle range theoretical level regarding the use of the fossil specimens and comment on the currently held opinions.enTools, PrehistoricStone implements -- AnalysisThesis