E-lorgesailie: An Agent-Based Simulation Model of Acheulean Lithic Raw Material Procurement and Handaxe Deposition Patterns

Abstract The striking archaeological patterning associated with Acheulean handaxes has been the subject of investigation for more than two centuries. Since the earliest days of the field, Paleolithic archaeologists have noticed the tendency for some Acheulean sites to take the form of large biface concentrations, while other contemporaneous sites (often in close spatial proximity) have few or none. This paper explores the potential significance of this patterning through agent-based simulation using the Netlogo software platform. In particular, our study looks at a variant of the stone cache model in exploring a potential economy of lithic raw materials based on (1) the direct acquisition of stone at discrete quarry locations, (2) the necessity of handaxes in carrying out spatially dispersed subsistence activities, and (3) the intentional caching of handaxes at strategic landscape locations in order to reduce mobility costs in traveling to quarry sites to acquire lithic raw material. Our model demonstrates that, in following a handful of simple rules and adhering to a limited set of assumptions, hominins could have significantly enhanced their foraging return rates by creating handaxe caches, which in a sense “split the distance” between foraging patches and stone quarries. Our model also shows that handaxe caching behavior may have resulted in the creation of sites with vast handaxe assemblages, such as Olorgesailie and the many others belonging to the Acheulean Industry.