SC - egg sizes

[LrdRas@aol.com]

A couple of comments, and then I'll shut up. 

I find a tendency in Western civilization, or perhaps just those
stemming from the old British Empire, to first assume there is a
natural, vertical and linear progression in technology (stone to bronze
to iron to steel to silicone), and second that any culture 'farther
back' on that assumed technological line is either behind in
progression, or arrested in progression. Hence, terms like "Stone Age"
and "primitive" connote inferiority to the present day.

Just because North American natives used lithic technology does not
automatically indicate a crudeness of culture as well. Stone tools are
very effective, and a often more economical that metal ones. Metal tools
are not required to build large structures, either. 

It was once believed in archaeological/anthropological science that
_Homo erectus_ in eastern Asia was 'culturally retarded' as the
Aeschulean stone tool technology seemed to stop when it got there, with
only some rather crude stone tools found. Later, a rather observant and
brilliant lad noticed that the rough line that these stone tools stopped
appearing exactly matched the borders of the ancient bamboo forests. _H.
erectus_ had just adapted to a more abundant resource that was easier to
work with. And it doesn't perserve archaeologically as well as
stone......  To this day, bamboo is used for most of the scaffolding in
Asia, and can make a wonderfully cheap and disposable knife. 

As for metal working in North America, the Northwest Coast tribes were
smelting copper, mostly for ornament and 'coppers,' symbols of
disposable weath, but I can't be totally sure they didn't make some
tools with it. And I've seen nephrite adzes you can shave with.

As for 'stone age' technology, eye surgery is done with obsidian flake
scalpels. A finer edge than steel.

Okay, I'm done with my little rant....

Seumas


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