Under the direction of Dr. Robert Blumenschine, Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers University, Mr. Salvatore Capaldo will conduct actualistic studies in the Serengeti region of Northern Tanzania. The data thus collected will provide the basis for his doctoral dissertation. Following an already completed pilot study, he will collect information on carnivore modification of bone. The results will be of direct use in interpreting archaeological assemblages. Mr. Capaldo will obtain carcasses of large mammals which have been collected by park officials. These will then be processed in a variety of ways which attempt to mimic prehistoric butchering patterns. The bones will then be exposed to predation by hyenas and other carnivores and the resultant remains then collected and analyzed. Unmodified bones will also be treated in the same way to serve as a control sample. On this basis, it will be possible to examine important archaeological assemblages from East Africa to determine the extent to which they have resulted from human, as opposed to carnivore, activity. In recent years, archaeologists have strongly disagreed about the role of hunting in the development of human society. It has been argued that faunal assemblages found with early stone tools represent not hunting - as formerly believed - but rather human scavenging from carnivore kills. It has proven extremely difficult to decide between these alternatives, and actualistic work, such as that which Mr. Capaldo will undertake, should serve to provide a needed interpretive context. This research is important for several reasons. It will help to develop a methodological tool which will be applicable to many sites in different parts of the world. It will ultimately increase our understanding of how humans developed and, finally, will assist in the training of an extremely promising scientist.
