September 1st 2023: publication Scientific Reports
Long-term behavioral adaptation of Oldowan toolmakers to resource-constrained environments at 2.3 Ma in the Lower Omo Valley (Ethiopia)
The long stratigraphic sequence of the Shungura Formation in the Lower Omo Valley documents 3 million years (Ma) of hominin evolution, which, when combined with detailed paleo-depositional environmental data, opens new perspectives for understanding the complex interactions between hominin landscape use and the development of stone tool-mediated activities. Stone tool assemblages produced by Paranthropus aethiopicus and/or a species of early Homo from ~ 2.3 Ma, reflect their ability to deal with the raw material scarce environment of the Lower Omo Valley. It remains to be seen whether this activity can be related to a single, brief occupation event or the expression of an emergent new adaptation. Here we report on the newly investigated site complex of OMO 79, which produced the first evidence for multiple phases of hominin tool-making and use in the Shungura Formation. The development of this long-lasting techno-economic behavior marks a cognitive tipping point around 2.3 Ma in the Lower Omo Valley, evidenced by the adaptability of the early hominins to resource-constrained environments.
Fig.7: Lithic artifacts from OMO 79. 1 to 7: quartz flakes and broken flakes from A82; 8 to 14: quartz flakes and broken flakes from A43; 15 to 18: quartz flakes and broken flakes from A42 (15–16) and A129 (17–18); 19 to 22: quartz flakes and broken flakes from A112; 23–24: chalcedony flakes from A43; 25, 28–29: chert flakes and broken flakes from A129, A112 and A82, respectively; 26: gneiss flake from A43; 27: lava flake with a refitted proximal fragment from A43. Picture and photo montage by AD, with Adobe Photoshop 22.5.
References
Delagnes A., Galland A., Gravina B., Bertran P., Corbé M., Brenet M., Hailu H. B., Sissay F. M., Araya B. G., Woldetsadik M. G., Boisserie J.-R. 2023 – Long-term behavioral adaptation of Oldowan toolmakers to resource-constrained environments at 2.3 Ma in the Lower Omo Valley (Ethiopia) – Scientific Reports 13, 14350 (2023) – https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-40793-3