New Perspectives: The flint-knapping-skills-project and the sustainability-project. Knapping Teaching and Learning: the Learning to be Human Project by Prof. Dr. Bruce Bradley, Archaeological Institute, University of Exeter, England

1. Knapping Teaching and Learning:
the Learning to be Human Project
WP 5
Professor Bruce Bradley
Nada Khreisheh
University of Exeter
Department of Archaeology
Exeter, UK
Steinzeitpark Ditschmarshen
24 September 2013

2. Methodology
Starting Procedures
•Aptitude assessment
•Spatial accuity test*
•Manual dexterity test*
•fMRI scan*
*Repeated 2 more times
2
Knapping
•Teaching sessions
•Practice sessions
•Assessments
connaisance
savoire faire
Analyses

3. 3
Sample:
•Core group- 8 subjects with little to no knapping
experience
•Expanded group- additional 10-15 subjects
inexperienced knappers
experienced knappers
Core group selected for inexperience, suitability for fMRI scanning, right-
handedness, availability over two years for training, including 3 intensive multi-
week session abroad, and commitment to knapping practice.
Expanded group selected right-handedness and availability over an extended
period for training, knapping practice and availability for assessments.

4. 4
Aptitude questionnaire:
List any craft skills you have practical experience of, rating your ability in them on a
scale of 1-5 (1 being beginner, 5 being expert):
List your previous experience with archaeological or replica flaked stone artefacts
including university courses, handling museum collections or flintknapping
demonstrations:
Have you had any previous practical experience of flintknapping?
If you answered yes to the last question how long is your practical flintknapping
experience?
Please state the amount of time you have spent practising and rate your ability in the
following 3 tasks/technologies on a scale of 0-5 (0 being no experience, 5 being
expert): Flake production, handaxe, Levallois.

5. 5
fMRI - functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: a technique
that directly measures the blood flow in the brain, thereby
providing information on brain activity.
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003
From Bringing the real world into the fMRI scanner: Repetition effects for pictures versus real objects
Jacqueline C. Snow, Charles E. Pettypiece, Teresa D. McAdam, Adam D. McLean, Patrick W. Stroman,
Melvyn A. Goodale & Jody C. Culham Scientific Reports 1, Article number: 130 doi:10.1038/srep00130
Received 20 May 2011 Accepted 05 October 2011 Published 26 October 2011
http://www.neurology.org/content/66/1/81/F2.large.jpg

6. 6
Definitions of connaissance and savoir-faire combining to form a
person’s skill (source: Bamforth and Finlay 2008, fig 3).
Skill defined:

7. 7
Technologies investigated:
Mode 1- flake production
Mode 2- Acheulean handaxe
Mode 3- Levallois preferential flake

8. 8
Connaisance (knowledge) assessment:
All subjects were given a series of flint cores, in all three technologies, in difference
stages of reduction and they were asked to draw, in chalk, the next flake that they
would remove to progress the reduction, within the specific technology. They were
assessed on the relevance of the flake removal choice and on whether the
predicted flake could be removed as drawn. This was done by two assessors and
then the results compared and agreed. Each observation was given a numerical
score. The same cores were used through out the project and for all subjects.

9. 9
Savoir-faire (ability) assessment:
Possibly the greatest challenge to doing flaking skill assessments is knowing how
much the result may have been influenced by the raw material. Each piece of stone
has a different shape and potentially different flaking qualities so that comparisons
between knapping episodes and between knappers is difficult to compare. To
overcome this critical obstacle, we developed a standardized precore of consistent
size, shape and flaking quality in porcelain.

10. 10
Knappers were then instructed to produce a specific technology with no instruction or
comments by the assessors. They were allowed to stop at any point they thought
they were either finished or were unable to complete the task. Each knapping
assessment was videoed and all debitage and the final product were collected for
analyses. The success of the knapping episode was scored as it progressed and at
the end with the assignment of numerical values from 0-5. 0 was a complete failure
and 5 was an excellent result. Along with the assessment during knapping the
product and byproducts were also analyzed and scored according to skill level.

11. 11
Recording knapping teaching sessions and practice
All teaching and practice sessions were recorded for each subject.
If other please specify:……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
Received instruction: Yes If Yes:1, 2, 3
(Level of Instruction Given: 1-3, 1=verbal instruction, 2=demonstration,
3=physical intervention)
Comments (e.g any breakthroughs made, closeness to original artefact,
problems you may be having, perceived reasons for success/lack of
success, tool/material flaws). Please continue on separate sheet if
necessary:

12. 12
Flake Production Evaluation Sheet Date: 12 February 2011
Subject: G
Flakes: 4
Comments: deep hinge fractures resulted in core abandonment before completion

13. 13
Finished pieces as well as the
debitage were recorded in relation
to skill exhibited based on a set of
criteria. Here are examples of
handaxes and Levallois cores of
two different knappers. The first
attempt is on the left with the third
on the right. In the case of the
handaxe there was steady
improvement through all three
assessments. With the Levallois
core, the second shows the
highest level of skill with a loss of
skill exhibited in the third. These
results mirrored those from the
observations of the knapping.

14. 14
Core group connaissance scores for each evaluation
Savoir-faire scores for core group knappers
Examples of assessments of
connaisance and savoir-faire
results (for handaxe
manufacture. Note the
ranges of variation through
the three assessments. This
is the raw data. These
results were then compared
with aptitude and amounts of
teaching and practice to see
if there are any correlations.
The same was done for all
three technologies and the
extended samples.

15. 15
Acquisition of Paleolithic toolmaking
abilities involves structural remodeling
to inferior frontoparietal regions
submitted to Neuroimage
E.E. Hecht, D.A. Gutman, N. Khreisheh, J.
Kilner, B.A. Bradley, T. Chaminade, D. Stout

16. 16
Concluding remarks:
•analyses and evaluations of all of the data are on-going
•Development of the standardized porcelain precore process greatly enhanced
understanding in savoir-faire assessment
•There are positive and negative correlations as well as no correlation between
amount of teaching and practice and expressed skill
•There are no correlations between any of the assessed criteria and sex of knapper
•Levallois technology was clearly more complicated and the most difficult for
knappers to understand and perform with significant correlations between verbal
teaching, practice and skill
•fMRI does indicate physiological brain remodelling that probably resulted from
knapping activities, including loss of changes possibly related to amount of practice
•The greatest influence on skill acquisition, overall, seems to be aptitude

17. 17
Acknowledgements:
Leaverhulme Trust for Project funding including a PhD studentship for
Nada Khreisheh;
University of Exeter for supporting Professor Bradley’s time on the
Project;
All of the dedicated subjects who made the project possible with their
dedication and good humour;
To the other project members and collaborators: Dr. Dietrich Stout,
Prof. James Steele, Stuart Page, Thierry Chaminade, Erin Hecht, Dr.
Aldo Faisal and Antony Whitlock