{
  "abstract": "A long-standing objective in Acheulean research is defining evolutionary trends in handaxe production over time. This study investigates technological and morphological variability in the Early Acheulean by analysing three geographically and chronologically proximate assemblages (>1.2 million years ago) from Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia). Combined techno-typological and geometric morphometric analyses reveal significant variability in handaxe morphology, shaping strategies and raw material selection. The observed dissimilarity suggests that Acheulean handaxe manufacture did not follow a linear path of standardisation. Rather, it demonstrates considerable flexibility, reflecting hominins’ responses to varying constraints and immediate needs within short timeframes.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Grupo de Estudos de Arqueoloxía, Antigüidade e Territorio (GEAAT), University of Vigo, Facultade de Historia, Ourense, Spain",
    "UNIARQ – Centre for Archaeology, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal",
    "IDEA, Instituto de Evolución en África, University of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain",
    "Italo-Spanish Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture and Balchit, Rome, Italy",
    "Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, Università di Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy",
    "CNR-IGAG, Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering, Rome, Italy",
    "Forschungsstation Schöningen, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Schöningen, Germany",
    "Inter-University Graduate School of Human Evolution, University of Burgos, Burgos, Spain",
    "Ethiopian Heritage Authority, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Eduardo Méndez-Quintas"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Rita T. Melis"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Flavio Altamura"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Patricia Bello-Alonso"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Andrea Serodio Domínguez"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Adugna Debalike Belayneh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Riccardo Salvini"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Giuliano Ambrosetti"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Margherita Mussi"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fy4npc1kez36c.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357880",
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  "id": "fy4npc1kez36c",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
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  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357880",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3314|Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Paleontology/Paleoanthropology"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Biology and life sciences/Physical anthropology/Paleoanthropology"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Computer and information sciences/Software engineering/Computer software"
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    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geology/Igneous geology/Volcanic glass/Obsidian"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geology/Petrology/Sediment"
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    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geology/Sedimentary geology/Sediment"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geology/Stratigraphy"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Paleontology/Paleoanthropology"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Engineering and technology/Software engineering/Computer software"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials/Raw materials"
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      "/Physical sciences/Mathematics/Statistics/Statistical methods/Multivariate analysis/Principal component analysis"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Research and analysis methods/Mathematical and statistical techniques/Statistical methods/Multivariate analysis/Principal component analysis"
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    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Anthropology/Physical anthropology/Paleoanthropology"
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  "openalex": "W7214212871",
  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357880&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-24",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fy4npc1kez36c.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357880",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357880"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:paleontology",
      "subfield": "evolutionary-biology"
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    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "plos:geology",
      "subfield": "geology-geochemistry"
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    {
      "field": "mathematics",
      "origin": "plos:statistical methods",
      "subfield": "statistics"
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  ],
  "title": "Random walks in handaxe knapping before 1.2 million years ago in East Africa at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia)",
  "title_text": "Random walks in handaxe knapping before 1.2 million years ago in East Africa at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia)",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/fy4npc1kez36c",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
  "versions": []
}