Early hominid stone tool production and technical skill 2.34 Myr ago in West Turkana, Kenya
International audience Well-documented Pliocene archaeological sites are exceptional. At present they are known only in East Africa, in the Hadar1,2 and Shungura3 formations of Ethiopia and in the Nachukui formation of Kenya. Intensive archeological survey and a series of test excavations conducted...
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-04379889 https://hal.science/hal-04379889/document https://hal.science/hal-04379889/file/LA2C%20NATURE1999%20.pdf https://doi.org/10.1038/19959 |
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ftunivaixmarseil:oai:HAL:hal-04379889v1 2024-04-28T08:03:37+00:00 Early hominid stone tool production and technical skill 2.34 Myr ago in West Turkana, Kenya Roche, H. Delagnes, A. Brugal, Jean-Philip Feibel, Craig Kibunjia, M. Mourre, V. Texier, P.-J Préhistoire et Technologie (PréTech) Université Paris Nanterre (UPN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Economies, sociétés et environnements préhistoriques (ESEP) Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Université de Provence - Aix-Marseille 1-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Brunswick (RU) Rutgers University System (Rutgers) National Museums of Kenya (NMK) 1999 https://hal.science/hal-04379889 https://hal.science/hal-04379889/document https://hal.science/hal-04379889/file/LA2C%20NATURE1999%20.pdf https://doi.org/10.1038/19959 en eng HAL CCSD Nature Publishing Group info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1038/19959 hal-04379889 https://hal.science/hal-04379889 https://hal.science/hal-04379889/document https://hal.science/hal-04379889/file/LA2C%20NATURE1999%20.pdf doi:10.1038/19959 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 0028-0836 EISSN: 1476-4687 Nature https://hal.science/hal-04379889 Nature, 1999, 399, pp.57-60. ⟨10.1038/19959⟩ [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 1999 ftunivaixmarseil https://doi.org/10.1038/19959 2024-04-11T00:16:34Z International audience Well-documented Pliocene archaeological sites are exceptional. At present they are known only in East Africa, in the Hadar1,2 and Shungura3 formations of Ethiopia and in the Nachukui formation of Kenya. Intensive archeological survey and a series of test excavations conducted in the Nachukui formation since 1987 have led to the discovery of more than 25 archaeological sites whose ages range from 2.34 to 0.7 million years before present (Myr)4,5, and to the extensive excavation of two 2.34-Myr sites, Lokalalei 1 in 1991 (refs 6, 7) and Lokalalei 2C in 1997. Lokalalei 2C yielded nearly 3,000 archaeological finds from a context of such good preservation that it was possible to reconstitute more than 60 sets of complementary matching stone artefacts. These refits, predating the Koobi Fora refits by 500 Kyr (ref. 8), are the oldest ever studied. Here we describe a technological analysis of the core reduction sequences, based on these refits, which allows unprecedented accuracy in the understanding of flake production processes. We can thus demonstrate greater cognitive capacity and motor skill than previously assumed for early hominids, and highlight the diversity of Pliocene technical behaviour. Article in Journal/Newspaper Archeological Survey Aix-Marseille Université: HAL Nature 399 6731 57 60 |
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Aix-Marseille Université: HAL |
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ftunivaixmarseil |
language |
English |
topic |
[SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory |
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[SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory Roche, H. Delagnes, A. Brugal, Jean-Philip Feibel, Craig Kibunjia, M. Mourre, V. Texier, P.-J Early hominid stone tool production and technical skill 2.34 Myr ago in West Turkana, Kenya |
topic_facet |
[SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory |
description |
International audience Well-documented Pliocene archaeological sites are exceptional. At present they are known only in East Africa, in the Hadar1,2 and Shungura3 formations of Ethiopia and in the Nachukui formation of Kenya. Intensive archeological survey and a series of test excavations conducted in the Nachukui formation since 1987 have led to the discovery of more than 25 archaeological sites whose ages range from 2.34 to 0.7 million years before present (Myr)4,5, and to the extensive excavation of two 2.34-Myr sites, Lokalalei 1 in 1991 (refs 6, 7) and Lokalalei 2C in 1997. Lokalalei 2C yielded nearly 3,000 archaeological finds from a context of such good preservation that it was possible to reconstitute more than 60 sets of complementary matching stone artefacts. These refits, predating the Koobi Fora refits by 500 Kyr (ref. 8), are the oldest ever studied. Here we describe a technological analysis of the core reduction sequences, based on these refits, which allows unprecedented accuracy in the understanding of flake production processes. We can thus demonstrate greater cognitive capacity and motor skill than previously assumed for early hominids, and highlight the diversity of Pliocene technical behaviour. |
author2 |
Préhistoire et Technologie (PréTech) Université Paris Nanterre (UPN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Economies, sociétés et environnements préhistoriques (ESEP) Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Université de Provence - Aix-Marseille 1-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Brunswick (RU) Rutgers University System (Rutgers) National Museums of Kenya (NMK) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Roche, H. Delagnes, A. Brugal, Jean-Philip Feibel, Craig Kibunjia, M. Mourre, V. Texier, P.-J |
author_facet |
Roche, H. Delagnes, A. Brugal, Jean-Philip Feibel, Craig Kibunjia, M. Mourre, V. Texier, P.-J |
author_sort |
Roche, H. |
title |
Early hominid stone tool production and technical skill 2.34 Myr ago in West Turkana, Kenya |
title_short |
Early hominid stone tool production and technical skill 2.34 Myr ago in West Turkana, Kenya |
title_full |
Early hominid stone tool production and technical skill 2.34 Myr ago in West Turkana, Kenya |
title_fullStr |
Early hominid stone tool production and technical skill 2.34 Myr ago in West Turkana, Kenya |
title_full_unstemmed |
Early hominid stone tool production and technical skill 2.34 Myr ago in West Turkana, Kenya |
title_sort |
early hominid stone tool production and technical skill 2.34 myr ago in west turkana, kenya |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
1999 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-04379889 https://hal.science/hal-04379889/document https://hal.science/hal-04379889/file/LA2C%20NATURE1999%20.pdf https://doi.org/10.1038/19959 |
genre |
Archeological Survey |
genre_facet |
Archeological Survey |
op_source |
ISSN: 0028-0836 EISSN: 1476-4687 Nature https://hal.science/hal-04379889 Nature, 1999, 399, pp.57-60. ⟨10.1038/19959⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1038/19959 hal-04379889 https://hal.science/hal-04379889 https://hal.science/hal-04379889/document https://hal.science/hal-04379889/file/LA2C%20NATURE1999%20.pdf doi:10.1038/19959 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/19959 |
container_title |
Nature |
container_volume |
399 |
container_issue |
6731 |
container_start_page |
57 |
op_container_end_page |
60 |
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1797574683492614144 |