While the ancient neurodivergent mind behind microlith technology didn’t leave us a written record, they did leave behind a legacy of precision, adaptability, and cognitive brilliance: the microlith!

In this episode, George dives into the origins and spread of microliths — tiny stone blades that sparked a revolution in human toolmaking. Through a blend of archaeology and imagination, we follow a fictional neurodivergent innovator named Aru who sees what others don’t, crafting the first microlith and passing that knowledge down through generations of clever, creative descendants.

Links

• Wurz, S. (2002). Variability in the Middle Stone Age lithic sequence, 120,000–60,000 years ago, at Klasies River, South Africa. Journal of Archaeological Science
• Shea, J. J. (2013). Stone Tools in the Paleolithic and Neolithic Near East
• Stout, D., Toth, N., Schick, K., & Chaminade, T. (2008). Neurocognition and the emergence of tool use in hominins. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
• Fitzgerald, M. (2004). Autism and Creativity: Is There a Link Between Autism in Men and Exceptional Ability?

Transcripts

For rough transcripts head over to https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/adhdbce/18

Music

• Your Story by MusicbyAden | https://soundcloud.com/musicbyaden
• Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
• Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

ArchPodNet

• APN Website: https://www.archpodnet.com
• APN on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archpodnet
• APN on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/archpodnet
• APN on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archpodnet
• APN Shop

Affiliates

• Motion