High Risk Exploratory Research: The Archaeology, Paleontology, and Geology of the Bala Paleoanthropological Research Area in Southern Ethiopia

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With the support of a National Science Foundation High Risk Exploratory Award, Dr. Elizabeth Harmon and an international team will investigate the little known, but potentially important, Bala Paleoanthropological Research Area (BPRA) of southern Ethiopia. Brief fieldwork in 2006 identified deposits containing Acheulean, Middle, and Later Stone Age artifacts, which indicates that the BPRA contains a record of human and occupation that overlaps that of the nearby Turkana Basin, Lower Omo River Valley, and Konso. These areas have provided the fossils and artifacts that underpin much of our understanding of human evolution during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Similarly, the BPRA is likely to contain significant deposits that can contribute to knowledge about technology and adaptations of the genus Homo. The goal during 2007 fieldwork is to document the paleoanthropological, geological, archaeological resources in the BPRA, and to use this information to target scientifically important deposits for long-term study, such as archaeological excavations and raw material sourcing. This work is high-risk because most of the project area is unexplored, and the long-term potential is unknown. However, regardless of the long-term potential, the BPRA is geographically intermediate to several valuable Plio-Pleistocene hominin localities, and it is important to clearly establish its paleoanthropological potential. Research in the BPRA will consist of ground survey to record data relevant to the occupation of the area by hominins and the geological and paleoenvironmental setting in which the occupation occurred. The geochronological and sedimentary data, which could include samples of volcanic tuffs for chronometric dating, are the key to understanding the regional geology of southern Ethiopia. The fossil faunal evidence may contribute to evaluating past environments, and help to determine the role of the environment in hominin evolution. The archaeological evidence, such as stone tools from various cultural traditions, will be important for gauging the time period and the taxonomic affiliation of the occupying hominins, and also may help to understand lithic technological change. Changes in lithic technology can be linked to cognitive advances and shifts in resource procurement strategies, issues that are poorly understood in Eastern Africa. There are three primary broader impacts associated with the BPRA project. The first is as a training venue. The BPRA will ultimately provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from at least four universities in the USA, Canada, Israel, and Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia. The second broader impact derives from the collaborative nature of the project. Because the participants are from numerous cultural traditions and from many academic disciplines, the project represents a broad academic perspective. The association of scientists working in a new project area will necessarily spur novel research. The work will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications in multiple domains of research, including paleoecology, Paleolithic archaeology, and Rift Valley geology. Most important, the collaboration includes Ethiopian expertise, which is often underrepresented in Ethiopian paleoanthropology. The final broader impact relates to support for Ethiopian cultural heritage. By conducting fieldwork in Ethiopia, money is channeled toward maintenance and improvement of the infrastructure devoted to Ethiopia's cultural and scientific resources.