The Role of Stone Tools in The Evolution
of Music: Experimental Archaeology of
Lithoacoustics

Abstract

Music is a universal and uniquely affective phenomenon. Across cultures, it is a foundational
component of some our most meaningful experiences. A ubiquitous feature of music is the use
of tools; to say humans have a unique capacity for making interesting sounds out of things is a
gross understatement. However, despite the wealth of research into our unique noisemaking
capabilities, the prehistory of music remains particularly mysterious. The archaeological record
is limited in the resolution it currently provides; taphonomic processes are biased against the
survival of common materials for music making. The palaeoanthropological record extends our
understanding of musical prehistory further but is silent on the evolution of non-vocal music.
This thesis argues that one of the most abundant archaeological resources, stone tools, have
been underutilized in the drive to locate music, especially musical tools, in the past. Chapter 1
introduces the theoretical basis for this argument using a wide range of interdisciplinary data.
Chapter 2 details the experimental archaeological methodologies used to quantitatively explore
the acoustic affordances of lithic technology, discussing their advantages and limitations.
Chapters 3,4 and 5 comprise the bulk of the thesis. These are a series of interlinked experiments
presented as separate research papers. Chapter 3 explores, in detail, the acoustics of knapping
in an early Palaeolithic context. It also presents a novel preference test, investigating the
perceptions of modern listeners to the sounds of stone tool making. Chapters 4 and 5 explore
the role sound plays in the tool making process for novice knappers by analysing replicated
assemblages. Chapter 4 investigates knappers on their own; chapter 5 uses groups of
toolmakers to explore the role of sound in social contexts. Finally, chapter 6 is a general
discussion bringing lessons learned across the 3 experiments together and looking onwards to
new experimental possibilities in the field of Palaeolithic lithoacoustics.