Ostrich eggshell beads (OES) are commonly found in forager sites across sub-Saharan Africa. Although they have received a reasonable amount of investigation, the drilling technology used to perforate OES beads has received little attention. As a result, not much is known about this technology. Providing a basic tool form for these drills could be useful for future researchers to identify such tools in assemblages, or to prompt revisiting older assemblages to identify these types of tools, which might have been overlooked or misidentified. This study made use of experimentation and use-wear to determine the types and shapes of materials most effective for perforating OES. It was determined that early foragers most likely used micro-lithic drills made from small, but thick, flake blanks that were retouched along the laterals to create a near symmetrical point with a tetrahedral tip. At Little Muck Shelter the base of the flake was also shaped to resemble a tang that likely aided hafting. This tool form can act as a basis to help researchers identify similar technology which can be studied and help broaden our understanding of the complexity of forager technology.

中文翻译：

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鸵鸟蛋壳珠：南非 Little Muck Shelter 的钻孔技术


鸵鸟蛋壳珠 （OES） 常见于撒哈拉以南非洲的觅食地点。尽管他们已经接受了合理的调查，但用于对 OES 珠子进行穿孔的钻孔技术却很少受到关注。因此，人们对这项技术知之甚少。为这些钻头提供一个基本的工具表格可能有助于未来的研究人员在组合中识别此类工具，或者提示重新访问较旧的组合以识别这些可能被忽视或错误识别的工具类型。本研究利用实验和使用磨损来确定对 OES 穿孔最有效的材料的类型和形状。可以确定，早期的觅食者很可能使用由小而厚的薄片坯料制成的微石器钻头，这些毛坯沿侧部进行修饰，以形成一个具有四面体尖端的近乎对称的点。在 Little Muck Shelter，薄片的底部也被塑造成类似于柄部的形状，这可能有助于 hafting。此工具形式可以作为基础，帮助研究人员确定可以研究的类似技术，并有助于拓宽我们对觅食者技术复杂性的理解。