Under the direction of Dr. Stanley Ambrose, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana, Ms. Nancy Sikes will carry out a combined program of field and laboratory analysis to collect data for her doctoral dissertation. The twin goals of her project are to develop techniques for reconstructing past vegetation communities and then apply them to significant archaeological sites in East Africa. She will focus on the analysis of carbon isotopes in organic components of soil. Plants utilize different metabolic pathways and as a result, contain different ratios of carbon isotopes. Since such vegetation provides the main organic component in soil, different soils may vary in isotope ratio based on the vegetation they sustained. Preliminary analysis suggests it is possible to work backwards from soil to plant community. Ms. Sikes will study a number of soils in East Africa. Following an altitudinal gradient she will note modern plant cover and then collect associated soil. After isotope analysis she will try to determine different types of signatures. On this basis she will then study samples from two important archaeological sites: Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania and Olorgessalie which is located in central Kenya. Long-term work at both sites has yielded extensive samples of early hominid cultural remains. To interpret the activities which took place and, therefore, gain insight into hominid adaptations, it is necessary to establish the environmental context, and Ms. Sikes analyses should provide a basis. This research is important for several reasons. It will help to develop a technique of use in a wide range of archaeological situations. It will also provide insight into how early humans lived. Finally, it will further the training of an extremely promising young scientist.
