Unraveling hominid behavior at another anthropogenic site from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania): new archaeological, taphonomic and technological research at BK, Bed II
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Charles P. Egeland, Associate Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: New archaeological excavations and research at BK, Upper Bed II (Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania) have yielded a rich and unbiased collection of fossil bones. These new excavations show that BK is a stratified deposit formed in a riverine setting close to an alluvial plain. The present taphonomic study reveals the second- largest collection of hominin-modified bones from Olduvai, with abundant cut marks found on most of the anatomical areas preserved. Meat and marrow exploitation is reconstructed using the taphonomic signatures left on the bones by hominins. Highly cut-marked long limb shafts, especially those of upper limb bones, suggest that hominins at BK were actively engaged in acquiring small and middle-sized animals using strategies other than passive scavenging. The exploitation of large-sized game (Pelorovis) by Lower Pleistocene hominins, as suggested by previous researchers, is supported by the present study.
Unraveling hominid behavior at another anthropogenic site from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania): new archaeological, taphonomic and technological research at BK, Bed II
PDF (Portable Document Format)
3172 KB
Created on 2/17/2011
Views: 2722
Additional Information
- Publication
- Journal of Human Evolution 57, 260-283
- Language: English
- Date: 2009
- Keywords
- Olduvai Gorge, Meat-eating, Cut marks, Percussion marks, Taphonomy, Lower Pleistocene archaeology, Hunting, Scavenging