Oldowan Technology and Raw Material Variability at Kanjera South

David R. Braun, Thomas W. Plummer, Peter W. Ditchfield, Laura C. Bishop, Joseph V. Ferraro

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceedingBook Chapterpeer-review

38 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Advances in the study of Oldowan research have suggested that the earliest tool-makers had the technological capabilities usually suggested in later time periods. Work in West Turkana and Gona research areas suggests that Pliocene hominins had a concise understanding of stone fracture mechanics and had a clear conception of how to reduce cores in a manner that maintained flaking surfaces. Here we investigate if these same patterns existed at the Pliocene site of Kanjera South in Western Kenya. Technological analyses suggest that although many of the technological capabilities described for other Oldowan sites are present in the Kanjera South assemblage, specific aspects of the context of the site (raw material variability) produced a different expression of these behaviors. The most obvious difference between the Kanjera South site and other Oldowan sites is that as reduction continues several different reduction patterns can be seen. This suggests that a reduction sequence or core reduction mode is not an immutable formula and can change depending on its context.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationVertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology
PublisherSpringer
Pages99-110
Number of pages12
Edition9781402090592
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameVertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology
Number9781402090592
ISSN (Print)1877-9077

Keywords

  • Oldowan
  • Raw Materials
  • Stone tools
  • Technology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Ecology
  • Palaeontology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Oldowan Technology and Raw Material Variability at Kanjera South'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this