This is a proposal to carry out archeological survey in the Gona Study Area to search for the makers of the world's oldest known stone tools, and to study why ancient humans began making stone implements. Gona is located in the Afar region of Ethiopia where more than 3,000 stone tools were excavated between 1992 and 1994. The stone tools are dated between 2.5 million and 2.6 million years, and they were made by the descendants of the 3.0 million year old ancestral human fossil known as "Lucy." Gona is located about 10 miles from the "Lucy" site, and about 50 miles from another site known as Middle Awash where scientists recently discovered fossilized bones of prehuman ancestors dated close to 4.5 million years. There were no fossilized bones of prehumans found with the Gona tools, but there is strong archeological evidence that they were made by prehumans who are probably our direct ancestors. The Principal-Investigators of the Gona Project have organized a team of scientists from the U.S.A., Ethiopia, Spain and South Africa to continue survey and excavations to search for the fossilized remains of the makers of these ancient tools, to search for stone tools in deposits that are older than 2.6 million years, and to look for fossilized animal bones that bear stone tool cut-marks as direct evidence for meat-eating. The Gona stone tools have sharp cutting-edges and they were probably used as knives for cutting up animal carcasses for meat. The 2.5 million year old Gona tools are very similar to those excavated elsewhere in East Africa from deposits that are close to 2.0 million years. The Gona tools were well-made and this suggests a possible long tool-making and tool-using tradition by prehumans prior to 2.6 million years ago. Project archaeologists will look for traces of stone tools in the deposits that are even older than those excavated in the early 1990s. Extensive survey will be conducted by Project archaeologists and bone specialists in the deposits adjacent to the areas studied between 1992 and 1994. The Project geologists will study the soil formations at Gona and collect volcanic ashes to determine the age of stone tools and fossil bones from new areas. Test-excavations will be opened at several areas to sample stone tools and fossil bones. Such a strategy of sampling is effective to study the various activities conducted by prehumans at different parts of the ancient Gona landscape. The overall goal of this Project will be to explore the Gona region for the actual beginnings of tool-making by our ancestors, for fossil remains of the tool-making ancestors and for archaeological evidence of tool-using behaviors and subsistence activities.
