Humans (Homo sapiens) are distinctive relative to other primates. They have large brains and are behaviorally flexible, they eat nutritionally dense foods that are difficult to acquire and are extensively shared, and they depend on culturally transmitted information, including technology, for their survival. This package of traits allows Homo sapiens to adapt to a wide variety of habitats. Through excavation of ca. 2.0 million year old Oldowan archaeological sites on the Homa Peninsula, Kenya, this project will document adaptability of human ancestors under conditions of environmental variability.
While technology is a key component of the human adaptive strategy, the adaptive versatility of earlier species of Homo, and the importance of technology to their survival, has not been well-documented. This project investigates the behavior and ecology of early Homo through the excavation of primary context stone tool and fossil assemblages at the localities of Kanjera South, Nyayanga, and Sare River on the Homa Peninsula. These localities date between 1.7 and 2.0 million years ago, a significant time interval during which archaeological sites spread across Africa, and the human ancestor Homo erectus appears in, and ultimately disperses out of, the continent. These localities preserve paleohabitats ranging from riverine woodland to open grassland, evidence of small antelope hunting as well as scavenging of larger animals, evidence of plant food acquisition (e.g., tubers), and technologically diverse tool assemblages. This project provides an excellent opportunity to assess the adaptability of early Homo, by ascertaining whether they employed specific technological strategies and foraging behaviors in response to environmental variability.
The project will expand our understanding of the evolutionary significance of Oldowan behavior, and the time depth of hominin dependence on culture for survival. The broader impact of this project includes the training of four doctoral students from the USA, and one based at the National Museums of Kenya. Four of these students are women, an historically underprivileged group in science. Finally, this project strengthens international collaboration, by bringing together researchers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, China, and Kenya.
