Browsing by Author "Harris, John W. K."
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- Early oldowan technology thrived during pliocene environmental change in the Turkana Basin, Kenya.Publication . Braun, David R.; Palcu Rolier, Dan V.; Advokaat, Eldert L.; Archer, Will; Baraki, Niguss G.; Biernat, Maryse D.; Beaudoin, Ella; Behrensmeyer, Anna K.; Bobe, René; Elmes, Katherine; Forrest, Frances; Hammond, Ashley S.; Jovane, Luigi; Kinyanjui, Rahab N.; de Martini, Ana P.; Mason, Paul R D.; McGrosky, Amanda; Munga, Joanne; Ndiema, Emmanuel K.; Patterson, David B.; Reeves, Jonathan S.; Roman, Diana C.; Sier, Mark J.; Srivastava, Priyeshu; Tuosto, Kristen; Uno, Kevin T.; Villaseñor, Amelia; Wynn, Jonathan G.; Harris, John W. K.; Carvalho, SusanaApproximately 2.75 million years ago, the Turkana Basin in Kenya experienced environmental changes, including increased aridity and environmental variability. Namorotukunan is a newly discovered archaeological site which provides a window into hominin behavioral adaptations. This site lies within the upper Tulu Bor and lower Burgi members of the Koobi Fora Formation (Marsabit District, Kenya), presently a poorly understood time interval due to large-scale erosional events. Moreover, this locale represents the earliest known evidence of Oldowan technology within the Koobi Fora Formation. Oldowan sites, older than 2.6 million years ago, are rare, and these typically represent insights from narrow windows of time. In contrast, Namorotukunan provides evidence of tool-making behaviors spanning hundreds of thousands of years, offering a unique temporal perspective on technological stability. The site comprises three distinct archaeological horizons spanning approximately 300,000 years (2.75 − 2.44 Ma). Our findings suggest continuity in tool-making practices over time, with evidence of systematic selection of rock types. Geological descriptions and chronological data, provide robust age control and contextualize the archaeological finds. We employ multiple paleoenvironmental proxies, to reconstruct past ecological conditions. Our study highlights the interplay between environmental shifts and technological innovations, shedding light on pivotal factors in the trajectory of human evolution.
- Introduction: Hominin paleobiology in the early Pleistocene Okote Member, Koobi Fora Formation, KenyaPublication . Bobe, Rene; Braun, David R.; Behrensmeyer, Anna K.; Harris, John W. K.
- Quantifying traces of tool use: a novel morphometric analysis of damage patterns on percussive toolsPublication . Caruana, Matthew V.; Carvalho, Susana; Braun, David R.; Presnyakova, Darya; Haslam, Michael; Archer, Will; Bobe, René; Harris, John W. K.Percussive technology continues to play an increasingly important role in understanding the evolution of tool use. Comparing the archaeological record with extractive foraging behaviors in nonhuman primates has focused on percussive implements as a key to investigating the origins of lithic technology. Despite this, archaeological approaches towards percussive tools have been obscured by a lack of standardized methodologies. Central to this issue have been the use of qualitative, non-diagnostic techniques to identify percussive tools from archaeological contexts. Here we describe a new morphometric method for distinguishing anthropogenically-generated damage patterns on percussive tools from naturally damaged river cobbles. We employ a geomatic approach through the use of three-dimensional scanning and geographical information systems software to statistically quantify the identification process in percussive technology research. This will strengthen current technological analyses of percussive tools in archaeological frameworks and open new avenues for translating behavioral inferences of early hominins from percussive damage patterns.