Abstract
I review five ‘vanished technologies’ from the African continent that have been brought to light through use-wear studies of bone tools. In most cases, the examples discussed here represent the first recognition of these technologies in the region and provide unique insights into the technological and behavioural repertoires of peoples and hominins in the past. Hominin foraging and subsistence practices are inferred based on use-wear on modified bones from four sites in the Cradle of Humankind. Early evidence for bow-and-arrow technology comes from Sibudu Cave and Klasies River Main site, with the evidence from the latter site extending the known distribution of this technology farther south. Use-wear has shown that modified bones, thought to have been pendants, were used in a manner more consistent with the production of sound, and likely represent early musical instruments. In a similar vein, use-wear has shown that several bone points, conventionally interpreted as arrowheads, were in fact used for more domestic activities, such as making reed mats or baskets. Among the earliest state-level society in sub-Saharan Africa the presence of bone hoes attests to the practice of small-scale garden agriculture, placing greater emphasis on individual agency within these complex societies. Use-wear studies continue to highlight the absurdity of attributing function based on shape.