Exploring the Technological and Functional Diversity of Polyhedrons, Spheroids and Bolas: An Integrated and Comparative Analysis of Cases from France and North Africa

Polyhedrons, spheroids and bolas (PSBs) are exceptionally perennial and ubiquitous objects found in Palaeolithic sites throughout the Old World over two million years. This study proposes an integrative and comparative analysis of PSBs from nine assemblages from France and North Africa, dated between 1.77 and 0.169 Ma. A technological analysis, combined with experiments and a previous functional study of the corpus, shed light on us to explore several issues. We demonstrate that several chaînes opératoires are recorded on the PSBs of the corpus. We also highlight the role of the cobble blank (morphology, size) on the shape of the PSB in many cases, raising the question of a voluntary selection of preforms to reduce the chaîne opératoire or a strong influence of the support independently of the objectives of the knapper. PSBs represent a wide variety of objects probably generally related to heavy-duty tasks. A predetermined mental template is required to produce most of them. In order to go beyond a mere morphological categorisation, we propose a classification according to manufacture and potential use modes, technological patterns and the knapper’s investment. The final shape is still considered but from an ergonomic perspective. The Oldowan site of Ain Hanech yielded a rich and diverse series of PSBs, presenting some similarities to southwestern European PSBs. Is this the result of an independent trajectory or of the diffusion of techno-cultural behaviours from North Africa to Europe?