Laboratory Analysis of the Oldowan Artifact and Zooarcheological Samples from Kanjera South, Kenya

在国家科学基金会的支持下，Thomas Plummer博士和一个国际同事团队将对从肯尼亚南部坎杰拉的Oldowan遗址发现的材料进行实验室分析。该团队汇集了美国、英国、意大利和肯尼亚的古生物学、考古学、地质学、地球化学和材料科学方面的专家，在其古生态背景下研究人的活动。约250万年前，奥尔多安考古遗址的出现反映了人类进化中最重要的适应性转变之一。然而，我们对奥多万原始人行为的理解仍然被来自一小部分遗址的解释所主导，特别是那些来自坦桑尼亚奥杜瓦伊峡谷床的解释。1996年至2001年的发掘工作在肯尼亚坎杰拉南部裸露的2.0 Ma左右的沉积物中发现了丰富的奥多安人工制品和化石。利用三维坐标抬起了大约3000件化石和4500件文物，并在唾液袋和筛子中收集了数千件额外的化石和文物，提供了第一个主要的Oldowan组合，其中既有文物又有动物群，位于一号床/二号床下部Olduvai之外。对这些材料的分析为我们利用Oldowan工具扩大对古人类生态、技术和生存行为的了解提供了一个重要的机会。该项目将进行实验室分析和相关的岩屑调查，以阐明坎杰拉的古生态背景、包括岩屑原料运输在内的古人测距行为、动物群获取策略(包括小型哺乳动物狩猎的强烈可能性)、技术与原材料可获得性和质量之间的关系，以及文物功能。古生态信息将来自牙釉质的同位素分析和牛下颌生态形态(以重建饮食)，来自沿发育牙齿轴长的多个釉质样本的同位素分析(以重建旱季强度和频率)，来自基于分类群的古群落分析，以及来自羚羊的颅后生态形态(以重建生境结构)。这些数据将加强该项目已经完成的古土壤碳酸盐的同位素分析。动物考古学分析将有助于重建遗址形成过程，并阐明人类接触身体的时间以及与食肉动物在现场的竞争程度。最终的石材调查将使我们能够完成对石材原料的一次和二次来源的普查。对参考样品和人工制品的地球化学性质以及岩屑薄片的分析应该使我们能够获得相当大比例的人工制品原材料。对岩屑原材料的材料科学分析将使我们能够量化原材料断裂可预测性和边缘耐久性的各个方面，并结合来源数据说明技术属性与原材料可用性和质量之间的关系。Edgeears分析将提供奥尔多安人工制品功能的最古老的直接记录。总的来说，这个项目将极大地扩展我们对奥尔多安人的行为变异和第一个石器技术的适应意义的了解。在方法上，它代表了迄今为止应用于这种古董考古事件的最广泛的分析和理论方法。除了扩大我们对第一个石器技术的知识之外，这个项目还将促进两名美国博士生的职业生涯，并加强美国、英国、意大利和三个肯尼亚组织(肯尼亚国家博物馆、核科学研究所和工程部)之间的科学联系。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Thomas Plummer and an international team of colleagues will conduct laboratory analyses on materials recovered from the Oldowan site of Kanjera South, Kenya. The team brings together American, English, Italian and Kenyan specialists in paleontology, archeology, geology, geochemistry and material science to examine hominin activities within their paleoecological context. The appearance of Oldowan archeological sites at c. 2.5 million years ago reflects one of the most important adaptive shifts in human evolution. However, our understanding of Oldowan hominin behavior continues to be dominated by interpretations from a small sample of sites, particularly those from Bed I Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Excavations in 1996-2001 recovered rich concentrations of Oldowan artifacts and fossils in c. 2.0 Ma deposits in the Southern Exposures at Kanjera, Kenya. Approximately 3000 fossils and 4500 artifacts were lifted with three dimensional coordinates and thousands of additional fossils and artifacts were collected in spit bags and sieving, providing the first major Oldowan assemblage with both artifacts and fauna outside of Bed I/lower Bed II Olduvai. The analysis of these materials provides a significant opportunity to expand our knowledge of the paleoecology, technology and subsistence behavior of hominins using Oldowan tools.This project will conduct laboratory analyses and a related lithic survey to elucidate the paleoecological context at Kanjera, hominin ranging behavior including the transport of lithic raw materials, faunal acquisition strategies, including the strong possibility of small mammal hunting, the relationship between technology and raw material availability and quality, and artifact function. Paleoecological information will be derived from isotopic analysis of tooth enamel and bovid mandibular ecomorphology (to reconstruct diet), from isotopic analysis of multiple enamel samples taken along the axial lengths of developing teeth (to reconstruct dry season intensity and frequency), from taxon-based paleocommunity analyses and from antelope postcranial ecomorphology (to reconstruct habitat structure). This data will augment the isotopic analysis of palesol carbonates already completed by the project. Zooarcheological analysis will assist in reconstructing site formation processes and elucidate the timing of hominin access to carcasses and the degree of on-site competition with carnivores. A final lithic survey will allow us to complete our census of primary and secondary sources of lithic raw material. Analysis of reference sample and artifact geochemistry as well as lithic thin sections should allow us to source a substantial proportion of the artifact raw materials. Material science analysis of lithic raw materials will allow us to quantify aspects of raw material fracture predictability and edge durability and in combination with sourcing data illuminate the relationship between technological attributes and raw material availability and quality. Edgewear analysis will provide the oldest direct documentation of Oldowan artifact function.In totality, this project will substantially expand our knowledge of Oldowan hominin behavioral variation and of the adaptive significance of the first lithic technology. Methodologically, it represents the broadest array of analytical and theoretical approaches yet applied to an archeological occurrence of this antiquity.In addition to broadening our knowledge of the first lithic technology, this project will advance the careers of two American doctoral students and strengthen scientific ties between researchers in the U.S., England, Italy and three Kenyan organizations (National Museums of Kenya, Institute of Nuclear Science and the Ministry of Works).