Dissertation Research: The Emergence of Prehistoric Pastoralism in Southern Ethiopia

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Under the direction of Dr. Steven Brandt, Mr. Girma Hundie will collect data for his doctoral dissertation. In past fieldwork he has located a series of archaeological sites in the Yabello region of southern Ethiopia and in his NSF supported project will return to conduct extensive excavation as well as additional survey. Yabello is located north of the Kenyan border in a transition zone between the Southern Ethiopian highlands to the North and low-lying East African plains to the South. Preliminary data suggests that this area served as an entryway to the South and an understanding of its prehistory may shed important light on the introduction of both new peoples and new substance technologies into this latter region. In a series of rock overhangs Mr. Hundie has recovered from the surface and upper levels of in situ deposits ceramics as well as faunal remains and worked stone tools which may, based on preliminary tyupological analysis, span tens of millennia. The walls of one of these shelters contain rock paintings. Mr. Hundie will conduct test excavations in several shelters to determine the cultural sequence and depth of deposits. On this basis he will select one for more extensive excavation. Flotation will be employed to recover plant remains. Lithics, ceramics and fauna and radiocarbon samples will also be collected and a geological analysis performed. With these data it should be possible to trace the changes from a hunting and gathering to succeeding Neolithic way of life. One can thus determine when domestic animals first entered the region and the cultural mechanism responsible for this introduction. Mr. Hundie will also conduct a surface survey to locate early pastoral material which should provide insight into early pastoralist social organization. Archaeological data demonstrate that animal domestication occurred in several centers in the Old World and that livestock such as cows, sheep and goats spread from these central sources. While it is clear that East Africa did not constitute one of these areas, domesticates may have been introduced as early as 6,000 years ago. However the date is not well established and neither the route nor mechanism known. It is not clear whether people were relatively sedentary and livestock alone spread from group to group or whether substantial human and livestock movement occurred together. Through analysis of such situations archaeologists can gain insight into the principles which underlie culture change and transmission. Several models have been postulated for East Africa yet solid data do not exist to verify or refute any of them. Mr. Hundie' research will address this question. The work will be of interest to many archaeologists and provide basic data on a little known part of the world. The project will also assist in training a promising young scientist.