Variation in the Oldowan: Recovery of Lithics and Fauna from the Gobaad Basin, Djibouti

在美国国家科学基金会的资助下，David DeGusta博士和Sonia Harmand博士将带领一个国际研究小组对吉布提Gobaad盆地的Oldowan考古遗址进行调查。这个项目的总体目标是通过测试关于已知最古老的石器（Oldowan传统）的假设，帮助我们理解早期人类的行为。在戈巴德的最初一季田野调查中，除了其他发现外，还发现了三个新的遗址，其中包含与动物化石有关的奥尔dowan石器。其中一个遗址面积超过150平方米，包括河马的遗骸，似乎相对未受干扰。这些遗址提供了一个机会来检验关于奥尔dowan工具变异的本质、这种变异的原因以及早期原始人的肉类觅食/加工行为的假设。将进行一个季节的野外工作，挖掘遗址，恢复其中包含的石器和化石，并收集样本进行年代测定。由此得到的数据（石器、化石和它们的古代信息）应该允许对几个假设进行检验。石器是关于早期人类认知能力和技术技能的最佳信息来源。认知能力的发展是否像停滞模型所认为的那样，是在断断续续的爆发之后出现长时间的停滞？还是像多样性模型那样，以更复杂的方式发展？这些是通往扩展认知能力的根本不同的途径，而扩展认知能力是我们物种的标志，戈巴德遗址应该有助于阐明在奥尔多安时期走的是哪条路。此外，Gobaad遗址的石器和动物遗骸之间的联系将阐明早期人类的肉类觅食和加工行为，这些行为在我们的进化中也至关重要。因此，这项工作的结果应该会提供关于早期人类行为在技术曙光的重要方面的见解。这个项目将大大加强吉布提和美国科学家之间的合作，因为它显然是目前在吉布提工作的唯一一个由美国领导的科学项目。这种合作对吉布提至关重要，因为该国迫切需要遗产管理方面的援助和专门知识（例如，吉布提没有博物馆）。由于该项目是在吉布提政府的支持和合作下进行的，它进一步加强了美国与这个位于非洲之角的战略国家之间的联系。该项目为来自美国和吉布提的学生提供培训，培训结果将通过两国的大学传播。

With National Science Foundation funding, Dr. David DeGusta and Dr. Sonia Harmand will lead an international team of researchers to investigate the Oldowan archaeology sites in the Gobaad Basin of Djibouti. The overall goal of this project is to contribute to our understanding of early human behavior by testing hypotheses regarding the oldest known type of stone tools (the Oldowan tradition). An initial season of fieldwork in the Gobaad resulted in, among other finds, the discovery of three new sites containing Oldowan stone tools associated with animal fossils. One site spans over 150 m2, includes the remains of a hippo, and appears to be relatively undisturbed. These sites provide an opportunity to test hypotheses about the nature of variation in Oldowan tools, the causes of such variation, and the meat foraging/processing behavior of early hominids. One season of fieldwork will be conducted to excavate the sites, recover the stone tools and fossils they contain, and collect samples for dating.The resulting data (stone tools, fossils, and information on their antiquity) should permit the testing of several hypotheses. Stone tools are the best available source of information regarding the cognitive capacity and technical skills of early humans. Did cognitive capacity develop in punctuated bursts followed by long periods of stasis, as held by the Stasis Model? Or did it develop in more mosaic fashion, as held by the Diversity Model? These are fundamentally different routes to the expanded cognitive capacity that is the hallmark of our species, and the Gobaad sites should help illuminate which path was taken during the Oldowan. In addition, the associations between stone tools and faunal remains at the Gobaad sites will illuminate the meat foraging and processing behaviors of early humans, behaviors that were also critical in our evolution. The results of this work, then, should provide insight regarding important aspects of early human behavior at the dawn of technology.This project will significantly enhance collaborations between Djiboutian and US scientists, as it is apparently the only US-led scientific project of any sort currently working in Djibouti. Such collaborations are critically important for Djibouti, as the country is in severe need of assistance and expertise in heritage management (e.g., there are no museums in Djibouti). Since this project is carried out with the support and cooperation of the Djibouti government, it further strengthen ties between the US and this strategically placed country in the Horn of Africa. The project provides training to students from both the US and Djibouti, and the results will be disseminated through universities in both countries.