John Murray
@kabweordie.bsky.social
PhD Candidate at ASU. Faculty at GCCAZ.
Stone tools, Middle Stone Age, paleoanthropology, PC gaming, skateboarding.
Will mostly post flintknapping🙃
Stone tools, Middle Stone Age, paleoanthropology, PC gaming, skateboarding.
Will mostly post flintknapping🙃
Pinned
John Murray
@kabweordie.bsky.social
· Nov 25
Hey everyone! I figured I should do a quick introductory post. I am a PhD candidate in archaeology 🏺 at Arizona State University and a OYO faculty member at Glendale Community College in biological anthropology.
I am broadly interested in lithic technology and early Homo sapiens archaeology 1/5
I am broadly interested in lithic technology and early Homo sapiens archaeology 1/5
Reposted by John Murray
Neolithic flint dagger blades from various sites around Lake Constance. The wooden handles have not survived. The flint material was sourced from the Southern Alpine region, highlighting early trade networks and cultural connections between the Alpine Foreland and ...🧵1/2
📷 @almbawue.bsky.social
📷 @almbawue.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Neolithic flint dagger blades from various sites around Lake Constance. The wooden handles have not survived. The flint material was sourced from the Southern Alpine region, highlighting early trade networks and cultural connections between the Alpine Foreland and ...🧵1/2
📷 @almbawue.bsky.social
📷 @almbawue.bsky.social
Demo piece from my knapping lab in intro to human evolution today 🏺🏺
November 24, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Demo piece from my knapping lab in intro to human evolution today 🏺🏺
Reposted by John Murray
Did Neandertals choose their prey when practicing cannibalism?🍖
Check out our new study, just published in Scientific Reports - @natureportfolio.nature.com!
We provide the strongest evidence to date for a highly selective cannibalism at the end of Neandertal lineage, 41-45.000 years ago.
1/7
Check out our new study, just published in Scientific Reports - @natureportfolio.nature.com!
We provide the strongest evidence to date for a highly selective cannibalism at the end of Neandertal lineage, 41-45.000 years ago.
1/7
Highly selective cannibalism in the Late Pleistocene of Northern Europe reveals Neandertals were targeted prey - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Highly selective cannibalism in the Late Pleistocene of Northern Europe reveals Neandertals were targeted prey
doi.org
November 20, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Did Neandertals choose their prey when practicing cannibalism?🍖
Check out our new study, just published in Scientific Reports - @natureportfolio.nature.com!
We provide the strongest evidence to date for a highly selective cannibalism at the end of Neandertal lineage, 41-45.000 years ago.
1/7
Check out our new study, just published in Scientific Reports - @natureportfolio.nature.com!
We provide the strongest evidence to date for a highly selective cannibalism at the end of Neandertal lineage, 41-45.000 years ago.
1/7
Excited that our paper is finally out!
We test the suitability of LA-ICP-MS for sourcing South African silcrete and show that it has comparable results to solution ICP-MS.
Importantly, heat treatment did not impact source separation.
50 days free link: shorturl.at/bDMs5 🏺🏺
We test the suitability of LA-ICP-MS for sourcing South African silcrete and show that it has comparable results to solution ICP-MS.
Importantly, heat treatment did not impact source separation.
50 days free link: shorturl.at/bDMs5 🏺🏺
July 30, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Excited that our paper is finally out!
We test the suitability of LA-ICP-MS for sourcing South African silcrete and show that it has comparable results to solution ICP-MS.
Importantly, heat treatment did not impact source separation.
50 days free link: shorturl.at/bDMs5 🏺🏺
We test the suitability of LA-ICP-MS for sourcing South African silcrete and show that it has comparable results to solution ICP-MS.
Importantly, heat treatment did not impact source separation.
50 days free link: shorturl.at/bDMs5 🏺🏺
Reposted by John Murray
Is archaeology a science? 🧪
Here's my new paper that has a go at answering this question by analysing 10,000 journal articles:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lHjN_6yUM...
Here's my new paper that has a go at answering this question by analysing 10,000 journal articles:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lHjN_6yUM...
June 18, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Is archaeology a science? 🧪
Here's my new paper that has a go at answering this question by analysing 10,000 journal articles:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lHjN_6yUM...
Here's my new paper that has a go at answering this question by analysing 10,000 journal articles:
authors.elsevier.com/a/1lHjN_6yUM...
Reposted by John Murray
🏺🦣
Shot of the inside of Arma delle Manie. Visible in the back are dry stone wall structures and presses for olive oil and wine production, showing the cave's use historically as well. Below all this, however, lie sweet, sweet Neolithic and especially Paleolithic deposits (38-130,000 yrs BP).
June 4, 2025 at 5:08 PM
🏺🦣
Reposted by John Murray
Hello,
Our paper on enamel proteins from Paranthropus robustus has finally been peer reviewed, please have a read here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Paranthropus robustus has been puzzling scientists since its discovery in 1938 in South Africa, where a high number of fossils have been found.
Our paper on enamel proteins from Paranthropus robustus has finally been peer reviewed, please have a read here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Paranthropus robustus has been puzzling scientists since its discovery in 1938 in South Africa, where a high number of fossils have been found.
Enamel proteins reveal biological sex and genetic variability in southern African Paranthropus
Paranthropus robustus is a morphologically well-documented Early Pleistocene hominin species from southern Africa with no genetic evidence reported so far. In this work, we describe the mass spectrome...
doi.org
May 29, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Hello,
Our paper on enamel proteins from Paranthropus robustus has finally been peer reviewed, please have a read here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Paranthropus robustus has been puzzling scientists since its discovery in 1938 in South Africa, where a high number of fossils have been found.
Our paper on enamel proteins from Paranthropus robustus has finally been peer reviewed, please have a read here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Paranthropus robustus has been puzzling scientists since its discovery in 1938 in South Africa, where a high number of fossils have been found.
Heat-treated silcrete Still Bay point (sand bath method) 🏺🏺
Gave me a little trouble with some internal flaws but happy with it overall
Gave me a little trouble with some internal flaws but happy with it overall
May 26, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Heat-treated silcrete Still Bay point (sand bath method) 🏺🏺
Gave me a little trouble with some internal flaws but happy with it overall
Gave me a little trouble with some internal flaws but happy with it overall
Single platform cores on heat-treated silcrete (ember method) 🏺🏺
May 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Single platform cores on heat-treated silcrete (ember method) 🏺🏺
Had a lot of fun writing this piece for The Conversation. Much different than writing an academic article. The editors were amazing to work with and super helpful! 🏺🏺
theconversation.com/was-it-a-sto...
theconversation.com/was-it-a-sto...
Was it a stone tool or just a rock? An archaeologist explains how scientists can tell the difference
With a little guidance and a lot of practice, even you can make stone tools the way our oldest ancestors did – and learn to recognize the signs of a deliberately made tool.
theconversation.com
May 7, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Had a lot of fun writing this piece for The Conversation. Much different than writing an academic article. The editors were amazing to work with and super helpful! 🏺🏺
theconversation.com/was-it-a-sto...
theconversation.com/was-it-a-sto...
My students did great refitting this core I knapped yesterday! 🏺🏺
February 28, 2025 at 10:54 PM
My students did great refitting this core I knapped yesterday! 🏺🏺
Practiced some Levallois while volunteering for ASU’s open door event 🏺 #flintknapping
February 23, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Practiced some Levallois while volunteering for ASU’s open door event 🏺 #flintknapping
Obsidian preform with an incipient cone in the middle of it. 🏺🏺
February 15, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Obsidian preform with an incipient cone in the middle of it. 🏺🏺
Heat-treated silcrete 🏺🏺
January 30, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Heat-treated silcrete 🏺🏺
Final demo handaxes before I swap shifts with Nic! 🏺🏺
If you’re in the area, Nic will be here until 5!
If you’re in the area, Nic will be here until 5!
January 25, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Final demo handaxes before I swap shifts with Nic! 🏺🏺
If you’re in the area, Nic will be here until 5!
If you’re in the area, Nic will be here until 5!
First demo piece finished 😃
January 25, 2025 at 6:25 PM
First demo piece finished 😃
Reposted by John Murray
Thanks again to @kabweordie.bsky.social for helping with this flint knapping video demonstration for my online students. I had way too much fun editing this video and adding the intro. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Anho...
ASU ASB335 Flint Knapping Demonstration
YouTube video by Matthew Peeples
www.youtube.com
January 23, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Thanks again to @kabweordie.bsky.social for helping with this flint knapping video demonstration for my online students. I had way too much fun editing this video and adding the intro. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Anho...
Reposted by John Murray
I made this Fort Ancient point out of a piece of Ste. Genevieve chert. Arrowpoints like this were made in Kentucky from 1000-1750 CE. This particular variation would have been made by Fort Ancient people during the later part of that date range. #flintknapping #archaeology
January 25, 2025 at 12:22 AM
I made this Fort Ancient point out of a piece of Ste. Genevieve chert. Arrowpoints like this were made in Kentucky from 1000-1750 CE. This particular variation would have been made by Fort Ancient people during the later part of that date range. #flintknapping #archaeology
Knapping demo for the opening of a new exhibit at the AZMNH in Mesa called THRIVE: The First People Yesterday, Today, and Forever.
Come by! Nic or myself will be here until 5 pm. 🏺🏺
Come by! Nic or myself will be here until 5 pm. 🏺🏺
January 25, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Knapping demo for the opening of a new exhibit at the AZMNH in Mesa called THRIVE: The First People Yesterday, Today, and Forever.
Come by! Nic or myself will be here until 5 pm. 🏺🏺
Come by! Nic or myself will be here until 5 pm. 🏺🏺
Reposted by John Murray
Resignation of the Journal of Human Evolution Editorial Board: We are saddened to announce the resignations of The Joint Editors-in-Chief, all Emeritus Editors retired or active in the field, and all but one Associate Editor. Press release below.
December 26, 2024 at 4:52 PM
Resignation of the Journal of Human Evolution Editorial Board: We are saddened to announce the resignations of The Joint Editors-in-Chief, all Emeritus Editors retired or active in the field, and all but one Associate Editor. Press release below.
Reposted by John Murray
Please see the PaleoAnthropology journal www.paleoanthropology.org. It is a community owned, peer reviewed open access online journal, which covers all the topics that JHE did.
No publication fees, no subscription. The way forward.
No publication fees, no subscription. The way forward.
PaleoAnthropology
www.paleoanthropology.org
January 2, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Please see the PaleoAnthropology journal www.paleoanthropology.org. It is a community owned, peer reviewed open access online journal, which covers all the topics that JHE did.
No publication fees, no subscription. The way forward.
No publication fees, no subscription. The way forward.
Reposted by John Murray
This week the editorial board of the Journal of Human Evolution issued a press release announcing their joint resignation, leaving the journal without any evident future. The journal has been a property of the publishing conglomerate Elsevier since the company acquired Academic Press ...
A sad end for the Journal of Human Evolution
A joint statement announces the resignation of the entire editorial board, while disclosing for the first time the use of AI in article production.
johnhawks.net
December 29, 2024 at 5:12 PM
This week the editorial board of the Journal of Human Evolution issued a press release announcing their joint resignation, leaving the journal without any evident future. The journal has been a property of the publishing conglomerate Elsevier since the company acquired Academic Press ...
Reposted by John Murray
Just published in Quaternary International, our paper (led by the wonderful @soleneboisard.bsky.social) presenting modelled climate frameworks for the Middle and Later Stone Age in northwestern Africa: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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 dist…
www.sciencedirect.com
December 16, 2024 at 10:22 AM
Just published in Quaternary International, our paper (led by the wonderful @soleneboisard.bsky.social) presenting modelled climate frameworks for the Middle and Later Stone Age in northwestern Africa: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...