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.
