Age and formation processes of an Acheulean site with extensive accumulation of large cutting tools: Garba I (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash, Ethiopia)

Abstract

The paper provides new data on the age and formation processes of Garba I (Melka Kunture, Upper Awash, Ethiopia). The site, one of the largest handaxe accumulations of the African Acheulean, was extensively excavated in the Sixties of the last century by J. Chavaillon but left largely unpublished. The chronology was also poorly constricted. Quartz grains dated through electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometry now provide a minimum age of 538 ka for the archaeological layer. In addition, we make available new data allowing an updated interpretation of the stratigraphic sequence and spatial distribution, as well as a detailed taphonomic study of the lithic assemblage. Additional information on the archaeozoological and palaeobotanical record are integrated in the discussion. We conclude that the extensive accumulation of large cuttings tools (LCTs) is not the result of major sedimentary disturbance processes but rather the outcome of a distinct hominin behaviour, which possibly was not focused on the processing and consumption of large mammals. New research at Garba I allows new insights on the Acheulean sites with similar large accumulations of handaxes. Additionally, it contributes to a better understanding of the early Middle Pleistocene in Africa, an under-researched period of the Early Stone Age.

The Pleistocene high-elevation environments between 2.02 and 0.6 Ma at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia) based upon stable isotope analysis

“…Between 2.02—0.6 Ma, the human presence at MK is directly recorded by paleoanthropological remains 24 , 44 – 46 , as well as by lithic artifacts 23 , 36 , 42 , 43 and fossil footprints 50 – 52 . Together with the isotopic results, this allows speculating on human behavior and adaptation.…”

“…The stratigraphic sequence was controlled by the interplay between variable tectonic, fluvial, and volcanic activities placed in a low-energy floodplain 38 – 41 . The archaeological sequence begins with the Early Stone Age, with Oldowan lithic tools (2.02 Ma) and Early, middle, and final Acheulean artifacts (1.95–0.6 Ma) 23 , 24 , 35 , 36 , 42 , 43 . The Early Middle Stone Age is documented at ~ 200 ka, whereas the Late Stone Age, mainly found in surface dispersions, is now investigated in a stratified deposit dated to the Holocene 22 .…”

Melka Kunture (alto Awash, Etiopía) entre 2.000.000 y 5.000 años

“…El final de la secuencia achelense de Melka Kunture está muy bien representado en Garba I, un yacimiento datado con ESR en torno a los 600.000 años (Sánchez-Dehesa Galán et al 2022). Se trata de un sitio excavado en extensión, de aproximadamente 250 m2, que ha proporcionado más de 12.000 artefactos líticos, entre los que se encuentran más de 800 hendedores y bifaces, y más de 30.000 fragmentos de restos de talla de menos de 2 cm de longitud (Fig.…”

Sourcing Oldowan and Acheulean Stone Tools in Eastern Africa

“…Ma) (Table 2; Figure 5), where a large Acheulean assemblage was uncovered within sediments deposited along an ancient tributary of the Awash palaeoriver (Chavaillon & Berthelet 2004;Sánchez-Dehesa Galán et al 2022). The site's assemblage is characterised by simple cores made from round obsidian clasts, and heavily flaked and standardised handaxes that stand in contrast to lightly knapped cleavers, both of which were mainly produced on basaltic and trachytic rock types.…”