Qualitative and Quantitative Use-Wear Analysis of Percussive Stone Tools from Nyayanga (Homa Peninsula, Kenya)

This study presents a comprehensive examination of the function of 26 percussive stone tools (PSTs) from Nyayanga, an Oldowan site located on the Homa Peninsula in southwestern Kenya. These artifacts, dating between 3.032 to 2.581 million years ago, were found together with hominin remains and animal fossils with stone tool butchery damage. To determine the function of the PSTs, we adopted a multiscale approach that combines qualitative use-wear analysis using microscopic techniques at low and high power approaches with quantitative analysis, employing 3D surface models generated with profilometry. These analyses indicate that Nyayanga hominins used PSTs to access both plant (e.g., USOs) and animal (bone marrow) nutrients. The inferred multifunctionality of these tools hints at diverse dietary strategies and contributes to our understanding of human technological evolution.