Exploratory Research and Survey into the Plio-Pleistocene Deposits of the Gona Paleoanthropological Research Project Area, afar, Ethiopia

埃塞俄比亚远方戈纳古人类学研究项目区上皮里奥-更新世矿床的探索性研究和调查

• 批准号: 9818353
• 负责人: Sileshi Semaw
• 金额: $ 12.78万
• 依托单位: Indiana University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1999
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1999-01-15 至 2000-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9818353&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Exploratory; Research; Survey; into; Plio

This is a proposal to carry out archeological survey in the Gona Study Area to search for the makers of the world's oldest known stone tools, and to study why ancient humans began making stone implements. Gona is located in the Afar region of Ethiopia where more than 3,000 stone tools were excavated between 1992 and 1994. The stone tools are dated between 2.5 million and 2.6 million years, and they were made by thedescendants of the 3.0 million year old ancestral human fossil known as "Lucy." Gona is located about 10 miles from the "Lucy" site, and about 50 miles from another site known as Middle Awash where scientists recently discovered fossilized bones of prehuman ancestors dated close to 4.5 million years. There were no fossilized bones of prehumans found with the Gona tools, but there is strong archeological evidence that they were made by prehumans who are probably our direct ancestors. The Principal-Investigators of the Gona Project have organized a team of scientists from the U.S.A., Ethiopia, Spain and South Africa to continue survey and excavations to search for the fossilized remains of the makers of these ancient tools, to search for stone tools in deposits that are older than 2.6 million years, and to look for fossilized animal bones that bear stone tool cut-marks as direct evidence for meat-eating. The Gona stone tools have sharp cutting-edges and they were probably used as knives for cutting up animal carcasses for meat. The 2.5 million year old Gona tools are very similar to those excavated elsewhere in East Africa from deposits that are close to 2.0 million years. The Gona tools were well-made and this suggests a possible long tool-making and tool-using tradition by prehumans prior to 2.6 million years ago. Project archaeologists will look for traces of stone tools in the deposits that are even older than those excavated in theearly 1990s. Extensive survey will be conducted by Project archaeologists and bone specialists in the deposits adjacent to the areas studied between 1992 and 1994. The Project geologists will study the soil formations at Gona and collect volcanic ashes to determine the age of stone tools and fossil bones from new areas. Test-excavations will be opened at several areas to sample stone tools and fossil bones. Such a strategy of sampling is effective to study the various activities conducted by prehumans atdifferent parts of the ancient Gona landscape. The overall goal of this Project will be to explore the Gona region for the actual beginnings of tool-making by our ancestors, for fossil remains of the tool-making ancestors and for archaeological evidence of tool-using behaviors and subsistence activities.

这是一项在戈纳研究区进行考古调查的建议，以寻找世界上已知最古老的石器的制造者，并研究古代人类为什么开始制造石器。戈纳位于埃塞俄比亚的阿法尔地区，1992年至1994年期间挖掘出3,000多件石器。这些石器的年代在250万年到260万年之间，它们是由300万年前的人类祖先化石“露西”的后代制造的。戈纳距离“露西”遗址约10英里，距离另一个被称为中阿瓦什的遗址约50英里，科学家最近在那里发现了距今近450万年的前人类祖先的化石。没有发现与戈纳工具一起发现的史前人的化石，但有强有力的考古证据表明，它们是由史前人制造的，他们可能是我们的直系祖先。戈纳项目的主要调查人员组织了一个来自美国的科学家小组，埃塞俄比亚、西班牙和南非将继续进行调查和挖掘，以寻找这些古代工具制造者的化石遗迹，在260万年前的沉积物中寻找石器，并寻找带有石器切割痕迹的化石动物骨骼，作为食肉的直接证据。戈纳石器有锋利的切割边缘，它们可能被用作切割动物尸体的刀。250万年前的戈纳工具与东非其他地方从近200万年前的沉积物中挖掘出来的工具非常相似。戈纳人的工具制作精良，这表明在260万年前，史前人类可能有很长的工具制造和使用传统。项目考古学家将在这些沉积物中寻找石器的痕迹，这些沉积物甚至比20世纪90年代初挖掘出来的还要古老。项目考古学家和骨骼专家将在1992年至1994年期间对研究地区附近的矿床进行广泛的调查。该项目的地质学家将研究戈纳的土壤结构，并收集火山灰，以确定新地区石器和骨骼化石的年龄。将在几个地区进行测试挖掘，以采集石器和骨骼化石样本。这种采样策略对于研究古戈纳景观不同地区的史前人进行的各种活动是有效的。 该项目的总体目标是探索戈纳地区，寻找我们祖先制造工具的实际开端，寻找制造工具祖先的化石遗迹，以及使用工具行为和生存活动的考古证据。