L Timbrell
Biographic Data
| ID | 52089 |
|---|---|
| NAME | L Timbrell |
| GIVEN NAMES | L |
| FAMILY NAME | Timbrell |
| SIGNATURE | TIMBRELL L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Liverpool |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1229-554X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 33 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 12 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Assessing the Potential of Latent Class Modelling for Classifying Stone Artefacts and the Quantification of Technological Diversity
Archaeological typologies are used to determine the number and diversity of artefact forms within a prehistoric toolkit. However, objective classification is challenging, complicating cross-assemblage comparisons. We explore the potential of latent class modelling (LCM) for grouping stone tools based on their morphological and technological attributes. LCM identifies unobserved (‘latent’) subgroups that share certain observed characteristics, pro…
The Tool Systems Approach: Measuring Complexity in the Primatological, Archaeological, and Ethnographic Records
Measuring technological complexity across species, as well as across temporal and spatial scales, is an ongoing challenge among authors who work on primatological, archaeological, and/or ethnographic questions. Researchers in these individual fields have developed a number of innovative ways of approaching this issue that reflect the specific affordances of their data with a known set of limitations. However, comparability between these approache…
Random forest models highlight early Homo sapiens habitats and their relationship to lithic assemblage composition
Eastern Africa plays an enduring role in understanding the evolution of modern humans in relation to palaeoenvironmental change. Numerous studies have implicated ecological and geographic factors in determining the spatiotemporal patterning of technological and cultural behaviour seen in the region during the Middle Stone Age (MSA), the technological phase associated with the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa. We use an eco-cultural niche model…
Stone point variability reveals spatial, chronological and environmental structuring of eastern African Middle Stone Age populations
Stone points are one of the key features used to define the African Middle Stone Age (MSA). Regional patterns in their shape and size through time have been thought to reflect inter-group interactions and networks of populations and are used to define cultural phases within the MSA. However, eastern Africa does not have distinctive and widely applied chrono-stratigraphic point variants that divide its MSA record, which is often described as being…
Climate frameworks for the Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age in Northwest Africa
This paper examines climate conditions in Northwest Africa for Marine Isotope Stage 4, 3, and 2 (71,000–11,000 years ago) and their impact on the distribution of potential suitable areas on a regional scale. The analysis uses climate simulations to model: 1) the geographical extent and variability of macro-refugia based on ethnographic data; and 2) the frequency of suitable areas based on climate ranges obtained at dated archaeological occupation…
Ecology and demography of earlyHomo sapiens: A synthesis of archaeological and climatic data from eastern Africa
Eastern Africa maintains a key position in debates surrounding the emergence of Homo sapiens across Africa. Extensive research in the region has revealed a rich fossil record in association with a 'generic' but variable Middle Stone Age (MSA) material culture, providing an important laboratory for testing hypotheses about the behavioural evolution of our species. For example, multiple archaeological studies of the eastern African MSA note a link …
Moving far or moving often? A neglected axis of variation in hunter-gatherer mobility
As one of the hallmarks of a hunting and gathering lifestyle, mobility is a primary concern for both archaeologists and ethnographers studying hunter-gatherer settlement systems. Most research considering hunter-gatherer mobility, however, concentrates primarily on the total distance moved by a group per annum. This paper develops a novel metric, the Distance/Frequency Index (DFI), which describes a continuum between relatively frequent, short mo…
A Collaborative Model for Lithic Shape Digitization in Museum Settings
The COVID-19 pandemic halted scientific research across the world, revealing the vulnerabilities of field-based disciplines to disruption. To ensure resilience in the face of future emergencies, archaeology needs to be more sustainable with international collaboration at the forefront. This article presents a collaborative data collection model for documenting lithics using digital photography and physical measurements taken in-situ by local coll…
Testing inter-observer error under a collaborative research framework for studying lithic shape variability
Evaluating error that arises through the aggregation of data recorded by multiple observers is a key consideration in many metric and geometric morphometric analyses of stone tool shape. One of the most common approaches involves the convergence of observers for repeat trails on the same set of artefacts: however, this is logistically and financially challenging when collaborating internationally and/or at a large scale. We present and evaluate a…
The University of Liverpool Evolutionary Anthropology Seminar Series: Transcending the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic
The University of Liverpool Evolutionary Anthropology Seminar Series is a long-running program of thematic talks for the Archaeology of Human Origins Research Group. The seminars explore the multi-disciplinary research of those working within various subfields, brought together under the broad themes of human evolution and behavior. The seminar series was established in 2006 and was traditionally hosted on Thursdays at 1-2 pm, with speakers trave…
How to read stone tools: A new mode system for describing variation in the Eastern African lithic record
THE PREHISTORIC STONE TOOLS OF EASTERN AFRICA: A GUIDE J. J. Shea 2020 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9781108334969. £85. Classification of stone artifacts is challenging yet essential for understanding hominin behavior in the deep past. The Prehistoric Stone Tools of Eastern Africa: A Guide attempts (a) to provide students interested in Eastern African archeology with a simple and straightforward introduction to stone tools; (b) to…
Using the shape of the basicranial portion of the temporal bone to distinguish between relatively closely-related human populations
Testing inter-observer error under a collaborative research framework for studying lithic shape variability
Evaluating error that arises through the aggregation of data recorded by multiple observers is a key consideration in many metric and geometric morphometric analyses of stone tool shape. One of the most common approaches involves the convergence of observers for repeat trails on the same set of artefacts: however, this is logistically and financially challenging when collaborating internationally and/or at a large scale. We present and evaluate a…
Ecology and demography of earlyHomo sapiens: A synthesis of archaeological and climatic data from eastern Africa
Eastern Africa maintains a key position in debates surrounding the emergence of Homo sapiens across Africa. Extensive research in the region has revealed a rich fossil record in association with a 'generic' but variable Middle Stone Age (MSA) material culture, providing an important laboratory for testing hypotheses about the behavioural evolution of our species. For example, multiple archaeological studies of the eastern African MSA note a link …
Stone point variability reveals spatial, chronological and environmental structuring of eastern African Middle Stone Age populations
Stone points are one of the key features used to define the African Middle Stone Age (MSA). Regional patterns in their shape and size through time have been thought to reflect inter-group interactions and networks of populations and are used to define cultural phases within the MSA. However, eastern Africa does not have distinctive and widely applied chrono-stratigraphic point variants that divide its MSA record, which is often described as being…
Using the shape of the basicranial portion of the temporal bone to distinguish between relatively closely-related human populations
A Collaborative Model for Lithic Shape Digitization in Museum Settings
The COVID-19 pandemic halted scientific research across the world, revealing the vulnerabilities of field-based disciplines to disruption. To ensure resilience in the face of future emergencies, archaeology needs to be more sustainable with international collaboration at the forefront. This article presents a collaborative data collection model for documenting lithics using digital photography and physical measurements taken in-situ by local coll…
Climate frameworks for the Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age in Northwest Africa
This paper examines climate conditions in Northwest Africa for Marine Isotope Stage 4, 3, and 2 (71,000–11,000 years ago) and their impact on the distribution of potential suitable areas on a regional scale. The analysis uses climate simulations to model: 1) the geographical extent and variability of macro-refugia based on ethnographic data; and 2) the frequency of suitable areas based on climate ranges obtained at dated archaeological occupation…
Moving far or moving often? A neglected axis of variation in hunter-gatherer mobility
As one of the hallmarks of a hunting and gathering lifestyle, mobility is a primary concern for both archaeologists and ethnographers studying hunter-gatherer settlement systems. Most research considering hunter-gatherer mobility, however, concentrates primarily on the total distance moved by a group per annum. This paper develops a novel metric, the Distance/Frequency Index (DFI), which describes a continuum between relatively frequent, short mo…
Using the shape of the basicranial portion of the temporal bone to distinguish between relatively closely-related human populations
How to read stone tools: A new mode system for describing variation in the Eastern African lithic record
THE PREHISTORIC STONE TOOLS OF EASTERN AFRICA: A GUIDE J. J. Shea 2020 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 9781108334969. £85. Classification of stone artifacts is challenging yet essential for understanding hominin behavior in the deep past. The Prehistoric Stone Tools of Eastern Africa: A Guide attempts (a) to provide students interested in Eastern African archeology with a simple and straightforward introduction to stone tools; (b) to…
The University of Liverpool Evolutionary Anthropology Seminar Series: Transcending the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic
The University of Liverpool Evolutionary Anthropology Seminar Series is a long-running program of thematic talks for the Archaeology of Human Origins Research Group. The seminars explore the multi-disciplinary research of those working within various subfields, brought together under the broad themes of human evolution and behavior. The seminar series was established in 2006 and was traditionally hosted on Thursdays at 1-2 pm, with speakers trave…
Testing inter-observer error under a collaborative research framework for studying lithic shape variability
Evaluating error that arises through the aggregation of data recorded by multiple observers is a key consideration in many metric and geometric morphometric analyses of stone tool shape. One of the most common approaches involves the convergence of observers for repeat trails on the same set of artefacts: however, this is logistically and financially challenging when collaborating internationally and/or at a large scale. We present and evaluate a…
Moving far or moving often? A neglected axis of variation in hunter-gatherer mobility
As one of the hallmarks of a hunting and gathering lifestyle, mobility is a primary concern for both archaeologists and ethnographers studying hunter-gatherer settlement systems. Most research considering hunter-gatherer mobility, however, concentrates primarily on the total distance moved by a group per annum. This paper develops a novel metric, the Distance/Frequency Index (DFI), which describes a continuum between relatively frequent, short mo…
A Collaborative Model for Lithic Shape Digitization in Museum Settings
The COVID-19 pandemic halted scientific research across the world, revealing the vulnerabilities of field-based disciplines to disruption. To ensure resilience in the face of future emergencies, archaeology needs to be more sustainable with international collaboration at the forefront. This article presents a collaborative data collection model for documenting lithics using digital photography and physical measurements taken in-situ by local coll…
Stone point variability reveals spatial, chronological and environmental structuring of eastern African Middle Stone Age populations
Stone points are one of the key features used to define the African Middle Stone Age (MSA). Regional patterns in their shape and size through time have been thought to reflect inter-group interactions and networks of populations and are used to define cultural phases within the MSA. However, eastern Africa does not have distinctive and widely applied chrono-stratigraphic point variants that divide its MSA record, which is often described as being…
Climate frameworks for the Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age in Northwest Africa
This paper examines climate conditions in Northwest Africa for Marine Isotope Stage 4, 3, and 2 (71,000–11,000 years ago) and their impact on the distribution of potential suitable areas on a regional scale. The analysis uses climate simulations to model: 1) the geographical extent and variability of macro-refugia based on ethnographic data; and 2) the frequency of suitable areas based on climate ranges obtained at dated archaeological occupation…
Ecology and demography of earlyHomo sapiens: A synthesis of archaeological and climatic data from eastern Africa
Eastern Africa maintains a key position in debates surrounding the emergence of Homo sapiens across Africa. Extensive research in the region has revealed a rich fossil record in association with a 'generic' but variable Middle Stone Age (MSA) material culture, providing an important laboratory for testing hypotheses about the behavioural evolution of our species. For example, multiple archaeological studies of the eastern African MSA note a link …
Random forest models highlight early Homo sapiens habitats and their relationship to lithic assemblage composition
Eastern Africa plays an enduring role in understanding the evolution of modern humans in relation to palaeoenvironmental change. Numerous studies have implicated ecological and geographic factors in determining the spatiotemporal patterning of technological and cultural behaviour seen in the region during the Middle Stone Age (MSA), the technological phase associated with the emergence of Homo sapiens in Africa. We use an eco-cultural niche model…
Assessing the Potential of Latent Class Modelling for Classifying Stone Artefacts and the Quantification of Technological Diversity
Archaeological typologies are used to determine the number and diversity of artefact forms within a prehistoric toolkit. However, objective classification is challenging, complicating cross-assemblage comparisons. We explore the potential of latent class modelling (LCM) for grouping stone tools based on their morphological and technological attributes. LCM identifies unobserved (‘latent’) subgroups that share certain observed characteristics, pro…
The Tool Systems Approach: Measuring Complexity in the Primatological, Archaeological, and Ethnographic Records
Measuring technological complexity across species, as well as across temporal and spatial scales, is an ongoing challenge among authors who work on primatological, archaeological, and/or ethnographic questions. Researchers in these individual fields have developed a number of innovative ways of approaching this issue that reflect the specific affordances of their data with a known set of limitations. However, comparability between these approache…
Geography (10 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (9 works) · Archaeology (8 works) · Biology (5 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (4 works) · Ecology (3 works) · Evolutionary biology (3 works) · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies (3 works) · Sociology (3 works) · 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak (2 works)