The first technical sequences in human evolution from East Gona, Afar region, Ethiopia, 2018
Gona in the Afar region of Ethiopia has
yielded the earliest Oldowan stone tools in
the world. Ar... more Gona in the Afar region of Ethiopia has yielded the earliest Oldowan stone tools in the world. Artefacts from the East Gona (EG) 10 site date back 2.6 million years. Analysis of the lithic assemblage from EG 10 reveals the earliest-known evidence for refitting and conjoining stone artefacts. This new information supplements data from other Oldowan sites in East Africa, and provides an important insight into the technological capacities and evolutionary development of hominins during this period.
The emergence of the Acheulian Techno-Complex in Asia appears to have occurred quasi-concurrently... more The emergence of the Acheulian Techno-Complex in Asia appears to have occurred quasi-concurrently in the Levant, South Asia, East and South Africa. Throughout many parts of the huge geographical expanse of Asia, as elsewhere, this genesis was followed by the rapid diffusion of Acheulian techno-behaviors. This phenomenon of cultural radiation is attested in the archeological record throughout the Old World by an increased number of occurrences documenting growing demographic trends of Acheulian peoples, into the latter phases of the Middle Pleistocene. The ''Homogeneity to Multiplicity Model'' (HMM) is used here to provide a window for understanding the mechanisms behind the evolutionary changes observed throughout the very long duration and extensive geographical context of the Asian Acheulian. Since the beginning of the 19th century, Asia has continuously provided archeological evidence that is vital to our understanding of the ''Acheulian revolution'' and the plausible links it may have had with the appearance and evolution of Homo erectus s. l. The emphasis traditionally put on handaxes as hallmarks of Acheulian culture has falsely led many archeologists to propose models of cultural diffusion that have masked the true nature of the Acheulian as a worldwide phenomenon in which Asia has always played a key role. Résumé L'émergence du techno-complexe acheuléen en Asie semble s'être produite presque simultanément dans le Levant, en Asie du Sud, en Afrique de l'Est et en Afrique du Sud. À travers de nombreuses régions de l'immense étendue géographique de l'Asie, comme ailleurs, cette genèse a été suivie par la diffusion rapide des techno-comportements acheuléens. Ce phénomène de radiation culturelle est attesté dans les archives archéologiques de l'Ancien Monde par un nombre croissant d'occurrences documentant les tendances démographiques croissantes des peuples acheuléens, dans les dernières phases du pléistocène moyen. Le modèle « homogénéité à multiplicité » (HMM) est utilisé ici comme une fenêtre à travers de laquelle nous tentons de comprendre les mécanismes qui sous-tendent les changements évolutifs observés tout au long de la très longue durée et du vaste contexte géographique de l'acheuléen asiatique. Depuis le début du XIXe siècle, l'Asie n'a cessé de fournir des preuves archéologiques qui sont essentielles à notre compréhension de la « révolution acheuléenne » et des liens plausibles qu'elle a pu avoir avec l'apparition et l'évolution des Homo erectus s. l. L'accent mis traditionnellement sur les bifaces comme marqueurs de la culture acheuléenne a faussement conduit de nombreux archéologues à proposer des modèles de diffusion culturelle qui ont masqué la véritable nature de l'Acheuléen, en tant que phénomène mondial, dans lequel l'Asie a toujours joué un rôle-clé. # 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits réservés.
Article history: Available online xxx a b s t r a c t Early and EarlyeMiddle Pleistocene archeolo... more Article history: Available online xxx a b s t r a c t Early and EarlyeMiddle Pleistocene archeological sites provide data about human dispersals into Europe from at least 1.2 Ma. Up to now, the fragmentary archeological record indicated only sporadic hominin presence, with punctated migration "waves" not necessarily leading to colonization. We consider an alternative demographical picture in which hominin presence in Europe could have been sustained from this time. This paper explores the possibility that early hominin groups confronted different landscapes by adapting their technology to changing ecosystems. Innovative technological achievements were developed into new forms out of potential existing within the variability of early stone industries, leading to the production of a more diversified toolkit. Among these innovations, the increased secondary knapping of flakes points to conceptually more complex production sequences. This paper proposes a comparative view of secondary knapped flakes from some key EarlyeMiddle Pleistocene sites in order to explore the hypothesis of demographical stability in Western Europe from this time.
Located in the Omo-Turkana basin at the northern limit of the Koobi Fora sedimentary Formation, t... more Located in the Omo-Turkana basin at the northern limit of the Koobi Fora sedimentary Formation, the Fejej region has recently proven to be a rich study area for understanding early hominin behaviour and paleoenvironmental conditions. Among the rich fossiliferous and stone artefact localities discovered so far at Fejej, the FJ-1a archeological site has yielded a faunal and lithic assemblage in primary context. The archeological level is situated within a 15 meter fluvial sequence beneath a volcanic tuff. Geochronological data from the FJ-1 sequence indicate an age of nearly 1,9 Ma for the FJ-1a artefact level. The stone industry was knapped from locally available raw materials (mainly quartz and basalt) and rocks had been carefully selected according to specific petrographical and formal criterion. Hominins mastered several distinct stone knapping methods and used more or less exhaustive reduction sequences in order to produce small flakes. The different techniques used for stone reduction are defined in this paper thanks to a series of refits of flakes onto cores. Along with the refits, an in-depth analysis of the flakes, cores and worked pebbles provides an overview of the technological capacities of hominins present at the site nearly 2 million years ago. After the Fejej FJ-1a site was abandoned the archeological materials were rapidly buried, leaving an almost undisturbed archeological level. This site appears to represent a short episode of hominin occupation.
HAL - hal.archives-ouvertes.fr, CCSd - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Direct. Accueil;... more HAL - hal.archives-ouvertes.fr, CCSd - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Direct. Accueil; Dépôt: S'authentifier; S'inscrire. Consultation: Par domaine; Les 30 derniers dépôts; Par année de publication, rédaction, dépôt; Par type de publication; ...
The Middle Stone Age site from locality FJ-101. The site of FJ-101, situated 3 km west of Fejej F... more The Middle Stone Age site from locality FJ-101. The site of FJ-101, situated 3 km west of Fejej FJ-1, on a small hillock, has yielded a lithic industry composed mainly of flakes in flint, quartz, basalt and rhyolite, but also of cores which can be attributed to the Middle Stone Age.
La présence du Paléolithique inférieur archaïque dans le Latium (Italie centrale) a été signalé p... more La présence du Paléolithique inférieur archaïque dans le Latium (Italie centrale) a été signalé par l'un d'entre nous, I. Biddittu dès 1971, et de nombreuses prospections ont permis de recueillir à ce jour un abondant matériel lithique et faunique au sein de trois stations ...
In recent years, there is growing interest in the study of percussion scars and breakage patterns... more In recent years, there is growing interest in the study of percussion scars and breakage patterns on hammerstones, cores and tools from Oldowan African and Eurasian lithic assemblages. Oldowan stone toolkits generally contain abundant small-sized flakes and their corresponding cores, and are characterized by their structural dichotomy of heavy- and light-duty tools. This paper explores the significance of the lesser known heavy-duty tool component, providing data from the late Lower Pleistocene sites of Barranco Leo´n and Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, Spain), dated 1.4–1.2 Myr. Using quantitative and qualitative data from the large-sized limestone industries from these two major sites, we present a new methodology highlighting their morpho-technological features. In the light of the results, we discuss the shortfalls of extant classificatory methods for interpreting the role of percussive technology in early toolkits. This work is rooted in an experimental program designed to reproduce the wide range of percussion marks observed on the limestone artefacts from these two sites. A visual and descriptive reference is provided as an interpretative aid for future comparative research. Further experiments using a variety of materials and gestures are still needed before the elusive traces yield the secrets of the kinds of percussive activities carried out by hominins at these, and other, Oldowan sites.
The Middle Stone Age site from locality FJ-101. The site of FJ-101, situated 3 km west of Fejej F... more The Middle Stone Age site from locality FJ-101. The site of FJ-101, situated 3 km west of Fejej FJ-1, on a small hillock, has yielded a lithic industry composed mainly of flakes in flint, quartz, basalt and rhyolite, but also of cores which can be attributed to the Middle Stone Age.
La présence du Paléolithique inférieur archaïque dans le Latium (Italie centrale) a été signalé p... more La présence du Paléolithique inférieur archaïque dans le Latium (Italie centrale) a été signalé par l'un d'entre nous, I. Biddittu dès 1971, et de nombreuses prospections ont permis de recueillir à ce jour un abondant matériel lithique et faunique au sein de trois stations ...
Le site de la Caune de l'Arago à Tautavel (Pyrénées-Orientales) a fait l'objet depuis de ... more Le site de la Caune de l'Arago à Tautavel (Pyrénées-Orientales) a fait l'objet depuis de nombreuses années d'études pluridisciplinaires appliquées à la succession des niveaux archéologiques dégagés au cours des fouilles. La combinaison des résultats de ces études débouche sur des interprétations de plus en plus précises des comportements et des modes de vie des hominidés à l'origine des accumulations anthropiques. Les matières premières lithiques et les vestiges paléontologiques contribuent grandement, en association avec d'autres paramètres, à définir les zones d'approvisionnement directement liées aux activités quotidiennes ou aux déplacements saisonniers au sein du territoire des groupes paléolithiques. La diversité des niveaux d'occupations identifiés sur ce site en grotte, exceptionnellement riche, donne accès à des informations très différentes, selon les niveaux, au préalable individualisés de manière stricte. Ces informations témoignent de plusieu...
Dans la couche Cl du site de Fejej FJ-l, la bonne conservation du matériel archéologique et paléo... more Dans la couche Cl du site de Fejej FJ-l, la bonne conservation du matériel archéologique et paléontologique, l'enfouissement rapide et le maintien des objets en place, les nombreux remontages effectués parmi les artefacts lithiques ou les restes fauniques, les traces de fracturation anthropique et la non-intervention d'autres prédateurs carnivores, constituent des conditions exceptionnelles de mise en place et de conservation qui nous permettent aujourd'hui de reconstituer le comportement et le mode de vie d'Hominidés il y a presque deux millions d'années. Les hommes s'étaient installés sur un bourrelet de sable fluviatile, grossier et meuble, bordé par un dénivelé de 50 cm de hauteur, à proximité de la berge d'une rivière, pendant une période d'étiage, et au coeur d'une plaine d'inondation. La présence d'un gibier abondant et divers, non loin de matières premières lithiques (galets) nécessaires à la fabrication d'outils pour le traite...
The first technical sequences in human evolution from East Gona, Afar region, Ethiopia, 2018
Gona in the Afar region of Ethiopia has
yielded the earliest Oldowan stone tools in
the world. Ar... more Gona in the Afar region of Ethiopia has yielded the earliest Oldowan stone tools in the world. Artefacts from the East Gona (EG) 10 site date back 2.6 million years. Analysis of the lithic assemblage from EG 10 reveals the earliest-known evidence for refitting and conjoining stone artefacts. This new information supplements data from other Oldowan sites in East Africa, and provides an important insight into the technological capacities and evolutionary development of hominins during this period.
The emergence of the Acheulian Techno-Complex in Asia appears to have occurred quasi-concurrently... more The emergence of the Acheulian Techno-Complex in Asia appears to have occurred quasi-concurrently in the Levant, South Asia, East and South Africa. Throughout many parts of the huge geographical expanse of Asia, as elsewhere, this genesis was followed by the rapid diffusion of Acheulian techno-behaviors. This phenomenon of cultural radiation is attested in the archeological record throughout the Old World by an increased number of occurrences documenting growing demographic trends of Acheulian peoples, into the latter phases of the Middle Pleistocene. The ''Homogeneity to Multiplicity Model'' (HMM) is used here to provide a window for understanding the mechanisms behind the evolutionary changes observed throughout the very long duration and extensive geographical context of the Asian Acheulian. Since the beginning of the 19th century, Asia has continuously provided archeological evidence that is vital to our understanding of the ''Acheulian revolution'' and the plausible links it may have had with the appearance and evolution of Homo erectus s. l. The emphasis traditionally put on handaxes as hallmarks of Acheulian culture has falsely led many archeologists to propose models of cultural diffusion that have masked the true nature of the Acheulian as a worldwide phenomenon in which Asia has always played a key role. Résumé L'émergence du techno-complexe acheuléen en Asie semble s'être produite presque simultanément dans le Levant, en Asie du Sud, en Afrique de l'Est et en Afrique du Sud. À travers de nombreuses régions de l'immense étendue géographique de l'Asie, comme ailleurs, cette genèse a été suivie par la diffusion rapide des techno-comportements acheuléens. Ce phénomène de radiation culturelle est attesté dans les archives archéologiques de l'Ancien Monde par un nombre croissant d'occurrences documentant les tendances démographiques croissantes des peuples acheuléens, dans les dernières phases du pléistocène moyen. Le modèle « homogénéité à multiplicité » (HMM) est utilisé ici comme une fenêtre à travers de laquelle nous tentons de comprendre les mécanismes qui sous-tendent les changements évolutifs observés tout au long de la très longue durée et du vaste contexte géographique de l'acheuléen asiatique. Depuis le début du XIXe siècle, l'Asie n'a cessé de fournir des preuves archéologiques qui sont essentielles à notre compréhension de la « révolution acheuléenne » et des liens plausibles qu'elle a pu avoir avec l'apparition et l'évolution des Homo erectus s. l. L'accent mis traditionnellement sur les bifaces comme marqueurs de la culture acheuléenne a faussement conduit de nombreux archéologues à proposer des modèles de diffusion culturelle qui ont masqué la véritable nature de l'Acheuléen, en tant que phénomène mondial, dans lequel l'Asie a toujours joué un rôle-clé. # 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits réservés.
Article history: Available online xxx a b s t r a c t Early and EarlyeMiddle Pleistocene archeolo... more Article history: Available online xxx a b s t r a c t Early and EarlyeMiddle Pleistocene archeological sites provide data about human dispersals into Europe from at least 1.2 Ma. Up to now, the fragmentary archeological record indicated only sporadic hominin presence, with punctated migration "waves" not necessarily leading to colonization. We consider an alternative demographical picture in which hominin presence in Europe could have been sustained from this time. This paper explores the possibility that early hominin groups confronted different landscapes by adapting their technology to changing ecosystems. Innovative technological achievements were developed into new forms out of potential existing within the variability of early stone industries, leading to the production of a more diversified toolkit. Among these innovations, the increased secondary knapping of flakes points to conceptually more complex production sequences. This paper proposes a comparative view of secondary knapped flakes from some key EarlyeMiddle Pleistocene sites in order to explore the hypothesis of demographical stability in Western Europe from this time.
Located in the Omo-Turkana basin at the northern limit of the Koobi Fora sedimentary Formation, t... more Located in the Omo-Turkana basin at the northern limit of the Koobi Fora sedimentary Formation, the Fejej region has recently proven to be a rich study area for understanding early hominin behaviour and paleoenvironmental conditions. Among the rich fossiliferous and stone artefact localities discovered so far at Fejej, the FJ-1a archeological site has yielded a faunal and lithic assemblage in primary context. The archeological level is situated within a 15 meter fluvial sequence beneath a volcanic tuff. Geochronological data from the FJ-1 sequence indicate an age of nearly 1,9 Ma for the FJ-1a artefact level. The stone industry was knapped from locally available raw materials (mainly quartz and basalt) and rocks had been carefully selected according to specific petrographical and formal criterion. Hominins mastered several distinct stone knapping methods and used more or less exhaustive reduction sequences in order to produce small flakes. The different techniques used for stone reduction are defined in this paper thanks to a series of refits of flakes onto cores. Along with the refits, an in-depth analysis of the flakes, cores and worked pebbles provides an overview of the technological capacities of hominins present at the site nearly 2 million years ago. After the Fejej FJ-1a site was abandoned the archeological materials were rapidly buried, leaving an almost undisturbed archeological level. This site appears to represent a short episode of hominin occupation.
HAL - hal.archives-ouvertes.fr, CCSd - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Direct. Accueil;... more HAL - hal.archives-ouvertes.fr, CCSd - Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Direct. Accueil; Dépôt: S'authentifier; S'inscrire. Consultation: Par domaine; Les 30 derniers dépôts; Par année de publication, rédaction, dépôt; Par type de publication; ...
The Middle Stone Age site from locality FJ-101. The site of FJ-101, situated 3 km west of Fejej F... more The Middle Stone Age site from locality FJ-101. The site of FJ-101, situated 3 km west of Fejej FJ-1, on a small hillock, has yielded a lithic industry composed mainly of flakes in flint, quartz, basalt and rhyolite, but also of cores which can be attributed to the Middle Stone Age.
La présence du Paléolithique inférieur archaïque dans le Latium (Italie centrale) a été signalé p... more La présence du Paléolithique inférieur archaïque dans le Latium (Italie centrale) a été signalé par l'un d'entre nous, I. Biddittu dès 1971, et de nombreuses prospections ont permis de recueillir à ce jour un abondant matériel lithique et faunique au sein de trois stations ...
In recent years, there is growing interest in the study of percussion scars and breakage patterns... more In recent years, there is growing interest in the study of percussion scars and breakage patterns on hammerstones, cores and tools from Oldowan African and Eurasian lithic assemblages. Oldowan stone toolkits generally contain abundant small-sized flakes and their corresponding cores, and are characterized by their structural dichotomy of heavy- and light-duty tools. This paper explores the significance of the lesser known heavy-duty tool component, providing data from the late Lower Pleistocene sites of Barranco Leo´n and Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, Spain), dated 1.4–1.2 Myr. Using quantitative and qualitative data from the large-sized limestone industries from these two major sites, we present a new methodology highlighting their morpho-technological features. In the light of the results, we discuss the shortfalls of extant classificatory methods for interpreting the role of percussive technology in early toolkits. This work is rooted in an experimental program designed to reproduce the wide range of percussion marks observed on the limestone artefacts from these two sites. A visual and descriptive reference is provided as an interpretative aid for future comparative research. Further experiments using a variety of materials and gestures are still needed before the elusive traces yield the secrets of the kinds of percussive activities carried out by hominins at these, and other, Oldowan sites.
The Middle Stone Age site from locality FJ-101. The site of FJ-101, situated 3 km west of Fejej F... more The Middle Stone Age site from locality FJ-101. The site of FJ-101, situated 3 km west of Fejej FJ-1, on a small hillock, has yielded a lithic industry composed mainly of flakes in flint, quartz, basalt and rhyolite, but also of cores which can be attributed to the Middle Stone Age.
La présence du Paléolithique inférieur archaïque dans le Latium (Italie centrale) a été signalé p... more La présence du Paléolithique inférieur archaïque dans le Latium (Italie centrale) a été signalé par l'un d'entre nous, I. Biddittu dès 1971, et de nombreuses prospections ont permis de recueillir à ce jour un abondant matériel lithique et faunique au sein de trois stations ...
Le site de la Caune de l'Arago à Tautavel (Pyrénées-Orientales) a fait l'objet depuis de ... more Le site de la Caune de l'Arago à Tautavel (Pyrénées-Orientales) a fait l'objet depuis de nombreuses années d'études pluridisciplinaires appliquées à la succession des niveaux archéologiques dégagés au cours des fouilles. La combinaison des résultats de ces études débouche sur des interprétations de plus en plus précises des comportements et des modes de vie des hominidés à l'origine des accumulations anthropiques. Les matières premières lithiques et les vestiges paléontologiques contribuent grandement, en association avec d'autres paramètres, à définir les zones d'approvisionnement directement liées aux activités quotidiennes ou aux déplacements saisonniers au sein du territoire des groupes paléolithiques. La diversité des niveaux d'occupations identifiés sur ce site en grotte, exceptionnellement riche, donne accès à des informations très différentes, selon les niveaux, au préalable individualisés de manière stricte. Ces informations témoignent de plusieu...
Dans la couche Cl du site de Fejej FJ-l, la bonne conservation du matériel archéologique et paléo... more Dans la couche Cl du site de Fejej FJ-l, la bonne conservation du matériel archéologique et paléontologique, l'enfouissement rapide et le maintien des objets en place, les nombreux remontages effectués parmi les artefacts lithiques ou les restes fauniques, les traces de fracturation anthropique et la non-intervention d'autres prédateurs carnivores, constituent des conditions exceptionnelles de mise en place et de conservation qui nous permettent aujourd'hui de reconstituer le comportement et le mode de vie d'Hominidés il y a presque deux millions d'années. Les hommes s'étaient installés sur un bourrelet de sable fluviatile, grossier et meuble, bordé par un dénivelé de 50 cm de hauteur, à proximité de la berge d'une rivière, pendant une période d'étiage, et au coeur d'une plaine d'inondation. La présence d'un gibier abondant et divers, non loin de matières premières lithiques (galets) nécessaires à la fabrication d'outils pour le traite...
El municipio de Orce, en la cuenca de Guadix-Baza (Granada), contiene el registro más primitivo d... more El municipio de Orce, en la cuenca de Guadix-Baza (Granada), contiene el registro más primitivo de la ocupación humana en el continente europeo en los yacimientos de Barranco León y Fuente Nueva 3. En este trabajo se presentan los resultados obtenidos y las líneas de trabajo de futuro que en el campo de la arqueología y el comportamiento humano tiene planteadas el actual proyecto de investigación: tecnología de adaptación, sistemas de obtención de recursos, captación de recursos alimenticios, organización del territorio, recorrido y procedencia de las poblaciones instaladas en Orce. Y finalmente, el proceso de evolución de la adaptación humana hasta la introducción del Modo 2 o Achelense, un hecho sobre el que también hay incógnitas a resolver, como su cronología y su carácter exógeno o endógeno a Europa. De todas estas líneas el presente artículo constituye una introducción y un planteamiento de futuro.
The municipality of Orce, in the Guadix-Baza basin (Granada), contains the earliest record of human occupation in Europe, on the sites of Barranco León and Fuente Nueva 3. This paper presents the results obtained and future lines of work that the current research project has approached in the field of archaeology and human behaviour: adaptive technology, resource procuring systems, the acquisition of food resources, land zoning, and the routes and origins of the settlements established in Orce. Finally, the paper looks at the process of the evolution of human adaptation down to the introduction of Mode 2, or Acheulean, about which there are also uncertainties to be solved, such as its chronology and its exogenous or endogenous nature in relation to Europe. The present article is an introduction and an approach for the future in all these lines of work.
Keywords: Human Expansion, Orce, Lower Pleistocene, Technological Evolution, Adaptation, Human Palaeoecology, Barranco León, Fuente Nueva 3.
Human Prehistory Exploring the Past to Understand the Future, 2022
This book provides a concise overview of human prehistory. It shows how an understanding of the d... more This book provides a concise overview of human prehistory. It shows how an understanding of the distant past offers new perspectives on present-day challenges facing our species - and how we can build a sustainable future for all life on planet Earth. Deborah Barsky tells a fascinating story of the long-term evolution of human culture and provides up-to-date examples from the archaeological record to illustrate the different phases of human history. Barsky also presents a refreshing and original analysis about issues plaguing modern globalized society, such as racism, institutionalized religion, the digital revolution, human migrations, terrorism, and war. Written in an accessible and engaging style, Human Prehistory is aimed at an introductory-level audience. Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of the interdisciplinary, scientific study of human prehistory, as well as the theoretical interpretations of human evolutionary processes that are used in contemporary archaeological practice. Definitions, tables, and illustrations accompany the text.
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Papers by Deborah Barsky
yielded the earliest Oldowan stone tools in
the world. Artefacts from the East Gona
(EG) 10 site date back 2.6 million years.
Analysis of the lithic assemblage from EG 10
reveals the earliest-known evidence for
refitting and conjoining stone artefacts. This
new information supplements data from
other Oldowan sites in East Africa, and
provides an important insight into the
technological capacities and evolutionary
development of hominins during this period.
abundant small-sized flakes and their corresponding cores, and are characterized by their structural dichotomy of heavy- and light-duty tools. This paper explores the significance of the lesser known heavy-duty tool component, providing
data from the late Lower Pleistocene sites of Barranco Leo´n and Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, Spain), dated 1.4–1.2 Myr. Using quantitative and qualitative data from the large-sized limestone industries from these two major sites, we
present a new methodology highlighting their morpho-technological features. In the light of the results, we discuss the shortfalls of extant classificatory methods for interpreting the role of percussive technology in early toolkits. This work is rooted in an experimental program designed to reproduce the wide range of percussion marks observed on the limestone artefacts from these two sites. A visual and descriptive reference is provided as an interpretative
aid for future comparative research. Further experiments using a variety of materials and gestures are still needed before the elusive traces yield the secrets of the kinds of percussive activities carried out by hominins at these,
and other, Oldowan sites.
yielded the earliest Oldowan stone tools in
the world. Artefacts from the East Gona
(EG) 10 site date back 2.6 million years.
Analysis of the lithic assemblage from EG 10
reveals the earliest-known evidence for
refitting and conjoining stone artefacts. This
new information supplements data from
other Oldowan sites in East Africa, and
provides an important insight into the
technological capacities and evolutionary
development of hominins during this period.
abundant small-sized flakes and their corresponding cores, and are characterized by their structural dichotomy of heavy- and light-duty tools. This paper explores the significance of the lesser known heavy-duty tool component, providing
data from the late Lower Pleistocene sites of Barranco Leo´n and Fuente Nueva 3 (Orce, Spain), dated 1.4–1.2 Myr. Using quantitative and qualitative data from the large-sized limestone industries from these two major sites, we
present a new methodology highlighting their morpho-technological features. In the light of the results, we discuss the shortfalls of extant classificatory methods for interpreting the role of percussive technology in early toolkits. This work is rooted in an experimental program designed to reproduce the wide range of percussion marks observed on the limestone artefacts from these two sites. A visual and descriptive reference is provided as an interpretative
aid for future comparative research. Further experiments using a variety of materials and gestures are still needed before the elusive traces yield the secrets of the kinds of percussive activities carried out by hominins at these,
and other, Oldowan sites.
Palabras clave: Expansión humana, Orce, Pleistoceno Inferior, evolución tecnológica, adaptación, paleoecología humana, Barranco León, Fuente Nueva 3.
The municipality of Orce, in the Guadix-Baza basin (Granada), contains the earliest record of human occupation in Europe, on the sites of Barranco León and Fuente Nueva 3. This paper presents the results obtained and future lines of work that the current research project has approached in the field of archaeology and human behaviour: adaptive technology, resource procuring systems, the acquisition of food resources, land zoning, and the routes and origins of the settlements established in Orce. Finally, the paper looks at the process of the evolution of human adaptation down to the introduction of Mode 2, or Acheulean, about which there are also uncertainties to be solved, such as its chronology and its exogenous or endogenous nature in relation to Europe. The present article is an introduction and an approach for the future in all these lines of work.
Keywords: Human Expansion, Orce, Lower Pleistocene, Technological Evolution, Adaptation, Human Palaeoecology, Barranco León, Fuente Nueva 3.