Gona Paleoanthropological Research Project

我们种族的根源似乎在非洲。 在埃塞俄比亚出土了一些我们遥远祖先的最早和最令人兴奋的痕迹。 在这里，PI建议在埃塞俄比亚中西部阿法尔地区或戈纳的一个非常有前途的地区进行进一步的古人类学和考古学调查。戈纳项目在2001年计划进行的实地工作中有三个主要研究目标。这些包括详细的地质研究和考古发掘，1）DAN 1，一个新的260万年（我的）考古遗址，有已知最早的原地石器和化石动物骨骼的证据，2）BSN 12，一个遗址，产生了直立人的部分头骨和相关的Oldowan和早期Acheulian石器，估计在1.5-1.0百万年之间，和3）DAN 5，其中发现了一个估计在2.0 -1.5百万年之间的早期人属的几乎完整的头骨，与表面Oldowan和早期Acheulian文物有关。1999年发现了DAN 1和BSN 12，2000年发现了DAN 5。之前在戈纳的研究发现了数千件石器，可追溯到2.5万年，但在挖掘中没有发现动物骨骼。最近在中阿瓦什研究区的Bouri发现了具有2.5年石器切割痕迹的骨骼，但没有发现与骨骼直接相关的出土文物。尽管缺乏与有切割痕迹的骨头直接相关的人工制品，但有人认为，祖先人类开始制造用于处理肉类尸体的人工制品。到目前为止，最早的相关文物和骨骼的证据来自哈达尔的沉积物，可追溯到2.3百万年。 唯一已知的2.6米的旧石器和相关的动物骨骼是在2000年从戈纳（DAN 1）发现的。这个新地点有望为了解早期人类饮食，研究最早的石器工具的功能以及提供有关触发早期人类片状石头生产的因素的重要线索提供关键证据。BSN 12和DAN 5遗址发现了重要的原始人类、石器和保存完好的动物群。然而，还需要进一步的考古和古生物学测试发掘，以及详细的地质研究：1）确定遗址的年龄; 2）确定原始人类、人工制品和化石骨骼的地层关系。地质研究的一个主要组成部分将包括对沉积物进行采样，以进行古地磁分析，并对凝灰岩进行地球化学对比，以确定这些重要发现的年代。

The roots of our species appear to be in Africa. Some of the earliest and most exciting traces of our distant ancestry have been unearthed in Ethiopia. Here the PIs propose to pursue further paleoanthropological and archaeological investigations in a very promising area of the West Central Afar region of Ethiopia, or the Gona. The Gona Project has three major research goals for the fieldwork planned in 2001. These include detailed geological studies and archaeological excavations at 1) DAN1, a new 2.6 million year old (my) archaeological site with evidence of the earliest known in situ stone artifacts and fossilized animal bones, 2) BSN12, a site which yielded a partial skull of a Homo erectus and associated Oldowan and Early Acheulian stone artifacts estimated between 1.5-1.0 my, and 3) DAN5 where a nearly complete skull of an early Homo estimated between 2,0-1.5 my was discovered in association with surface Oldowan and Early Acheulian artifacts. DAN1and BSN12 were identified in 1999 and DAN5 was discovered in 2000. Previous research at Gona has resulted in the discovery of thousands of stone tools dated to 2.5 my, but fossilized animal bones were absent from the excavations. Bones with evidence of stone tool cut-marks dated to 2.5 my were recently discovered at Bouri, in the Middle Awash study area, but there were no excavated artifacts found in direct association with the bones. Despite the lack of artifacts in direct association with cut-marked bones, it was argued that ancestral humans began making artifacts for processing carcasses for meat. Thus far, the earliest evidence for associated artifacts and bones comes from Hadar in deposits dated to 2.3 my. The only known 2.6 my old in situ stone artifacts and associated animal bones are those discovered in the year 2000 from Gona (at DAN1). This new site promises to yield critical evidence for understanding early human diet, for studying the function of the earliest stone tools and for providing important clues regarding the factors that triggered early human flaked stone production. The BSN12 and DAN5 sites have yielded important hominids, stone artifacts and well-preserved fauna. However, further archaeological and paleontological test-excavations, and detailed geological studies are needed 1) to firmly determine the age of the sites and 2) to ascertain the stratigraphic relationships of the hominids, the artifacts and the fossil bones. A major component of the geological study will involve sampling of sediments for paleomagnetic analyses and tuffs for geochemical correlations for resolving the age of these important discoveries.