We welcome Ran Barkai’s thoughts (1) on the symbolic significance of the Konso bone handaxe that we recently reported (2). First, we agree that African Homo erectus at 1.4 Mya may have been considerably sophisticated in their cognitive capacities, including potential symbolic perception and behavior. Indeed, the technological context of the find suggests a higher level of cognition than previously thought, a point we further discuss below. Next, we note that, although bone marrow was exploited, fragmented fresh bones at processing sites are covered with soft tissue. One experimental work (3) reports that presence of periosteum precludes efficient controlled percussion, and another reports that weathered bone …

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回复巴尔凯：孔索骨头手斧的含义[生物科学]

我们欢迎Ran Barkai关于我们最近报道的Konso骨手斧的象征意义的思想（1）（2）。首先，我们同意1.4 Mya的非洲直立人的认知能力可能相当复杂，包括潜在的象征性感知和行为。确实，该发现的技术背景表明其认知水平高于先前的想法，这一点我们将在下面进一步讨论。接下来，我们注意到，尽管利用了骨髓，但加工部位破碎的新鲜骨头被软组织覆盖。一项实验工作（3）报告说，骨膜的存在排除了有效控制的打击乐，另一项报告说风化了骨…