Adhesive production is one of the earliest forms of transformative technology, predating ceramics and metallurgy by over 150,000 years. The study of the adhesives used by Neandertals and early modern humans currently plays a significant role in debates about human technological and cognitive evolution. Depending on the type of adhesive used, different production sequences were required. These can vary in complexity and would have needed different knowledge, expertise, and resources to manufacture. However, our knowledge of this important technological development is severely hampered by poorly understood taphonomic processes, which affects the preservation and identification of adhesive materials and leads to a research bias. Here we present the results from a 3-year field preservation experiment. Flint flakes hafted and non-hafted with replica adhesives were left to weather naturally on and below the surface at two locations with different soils and climatic conditions. Differential preservation was recorded on a variety of natural adhesives by digitally measuring the surface area of each residue before and after the elapsed time. Residues were further assessed and photographed using metallographic optical microscopy. Results show that certain adhesives preserve to a significantly higher degree than others, while some materials may be more easily overlooked or visually misdiagnosed. We must therefore be aware of both taphonomic and identification biases when discussing ancient adhesive technology. This research provides a first look that will help us understand the disparities between which adhesives were used in the past and what we find in the archaeological record today.

中文翻译：

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通过实验了解古代粘合剂的保存和鉴定偏见

胶粘剂生产是转化技术的最早形式之一，比陶瓷和冶金学早了15万年。目前，对尼安德特人和早期现代人类使用的粘合剂的研究在有关人类技术和认知进化的辩论中起着重要作用。根据所用粘合剂的类型，需要不同的生产顺序。它们的复杂性可能不同，并且需要不同的知识，专业知识和资源来制造。但是，我们对这一重要技术发展的了解受到人们对疏水性工艺知识了解程度的严重限制，这影响了粘合材料的保存和鉴定，并导致了研究偏见。在这里，我们介绍了为期3年的田间保存实验的结果。将用复制胶粘好或未粘好的火石片在两个具有不同土壤和气候条件的位置自然地在表面上和表面下风化。通过数字测量经过时间前后的每种残留物的表面积，在各种天然粘合剂上记录了差异保存。进一步评估残留物并使用金相光学显微镜照相。结果表明，某些胶粘剂的保存程度远高于其他胶粘剂，而某些材料则更容易被忽略或视觉误诊。因此，在讨论古老的胶粘技术时，我们必须同时注意同声和识别偏见。