With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Charles Egeland and an international team of colleagues will conduct one field season of paleoanthropological research in northern Armenia. This research brings together U.S. and Armenian specialists in archaeology, geology, geographic information systems, and human paleontology in an attempt to identify the earliest human occupations in west-central Asia. The initial dispersal of early human populations from Africa and into the wider reaches of Eurasia during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene (between 2 and 1.7 million years ago) reflects an ability to adapt to novel environments and thus marks a true watershed in human evolution. The presence of early humans at the well-known site of Dmanisi in the Republic of Georgia, which is dated to 1.8 million years ago and lies just 30km north of the project area, indicates that northern Armenia probably served as a major corridor for expanding early human populations. However, the nature and timing of these dispersals remain poorly understood, largely because of a paucity of Eurasian Plio-Pleistocene sites. The ultimate goal of this research is to identify large, well-preserved Plio-Pleistocene sites to develop a more nuanced understanding of how biology, technology, culture, and changing environments influenced when and how early humans initially left Africa.

The nature of the research questions requires basic site survey to be carried out to identify areas with evidence of early human occupation (fossilized bones and/or stone tools). Once sites are identified, more detailed excavations can be conducted to reconstruct aspects of site formation and paleoenvironment, early human diet and biology, site use, and stone tool technology. Specific tasks are (1) map geological sections in the Debed and Pambak river valleys; (2) complete extensive survey and collection of surface materials at identified sites; (3) conduct test excavations at sites to assess their integrity and potential; (4) build a GIS-based mapping and excavation protocol; (5) to analyze all collected artifacts.

The timing and nature of the initial human dispersals from Africa are issues of critical importance to paleoanthropology. Although compelling models have been advanced to explain movements of early humans out of Africa, there are too few Eurasian sites of the right age to adequately test them. The intellectual merit of the research will be to identify new sites to permit a more comprehensive understanding of early human dispersal capability and its relationship to biology, culture, and environmental change.

The implementation of modern-style paleoanthropological research is still in its infancy in Armenia, and much of the previous work carried out in the country is not well-known to Western scholars. In helping to disseminate information to a wider audience, the broader impacts of this study will be to establish an international collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, which is one of the country's most prestigious scientific organizations. Once established, the project will open opportunities to train a new generation of undergraduate and graduate students in Armenia and abroad. Ultimately, the project team will publish a website geared towards public interpretation that will detail and update the results of the project and highlight its international collaborative nature.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
0936385
Program Officer
John E. Yellen
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2009-09-01
Budget End
2011-08-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$24,329
Indirect Cost
Name
University of North Carolina Greensboro
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Greensboro
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27412