Site function and lithic technology in the Acheulean technocomplex: a case study from Thiongo Korongo (TK), BedII, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

Abstract

The most recent excavations carried out at the Thiongo Korongo (TK) site, in the upper part of Olduvai Bed II and dating from about 1.353AE0.035 Ma, have made it possible to identify a hitherto unknown Acheulean floor. Between 2010 and 2015, we excavated nearly 175 m 2 in several areas immediately adjacent to M. Leakey's trenches. Our findings led us to reinterpret TK's general stratigraphy and to identify a hitherto unpublished floor situated between levels TKLF and TKUF (the ones recognized by M. Leakey), which we have called TKSF. The differences we note between these two floors are very significant and concern production techniques and systems, which were aimed at obtaining different types of tools. These differences are especially marked in bifaces. In TKLF, bifacial tools consist of large, very specialized items characterized by a functional point opposite a thick basal area that makes the tool easy to grasp. In TKSF, handaxes are lighter and their cutting edges extend all around their perimeter, and can thus withstand long and varied uses. Considering the stratigraphical proximity and the accumulation rate of the sedimentary processes involved, the differences we observed cannot be correlated with evolutionary developments, which would require long periods of time. The differences observed in the tools seem to be related to the different activities carried out on each of these floors, and show that TKwas a complex site with a heuristic capacity that is particularly significant in the context of Olduvai and of the study of behaviour patterns in the Lower Pleistocene.

New methodological and technological approaches to the Oldowan and Acheulian archaeology of Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) – introduction

“…Here, the study of the lithic assemblage of a new Acheulian level, TKSF (Rubio‐Jara et al . ), very close stratigraphically and temporarily to TKLF, is presented. The differences between these Acheulean floors (TKLF and TKSF) allow the authors to suggest that the possible explanation of Acheulean variability is due to the different activities and patterns of behaviour carried out by hominins.…”

Geochemical and physical characterization of lithic raw materials in the Olduvai Basin, Tanzania

“…However, building and testing models of these relationships is predicated on secure linkages between artifacts and their original sources. Those interested in sourcing the artifacts from Olduvai most commonly rely on macroscopic comparisons with hand samples collected at currently observable sources and/or the detailed lithological and mineralogical descriptions of Hay (1976: 11-13) and Kyara (1999: 115-127 Leakey, 1971Leakey, , 1994Jones, 1994;Blumenschine and Peters, 1998;Kimura, 1999Kimura, , 2002de la Torre and Mora, 2005;Blumenschine et al, 2008Blumenschine et al, , 2012Diez-Martín et al, 2009;Santonja et al, 2014;Rubio-Jara et al, 2017;McHenry and de la Torre, 2018). Others supplement this information with petrographic and geochemical data from the same sources (Stiles et al, 1974;Mollel, 2007;Sánchez Yustos et al, 2012;Abtosway, 2018;McHenry and de la Torre, 2018;Bello-Alonso et al, 2019;Favreau, 2019).…”

El estudio funcional lítico en la Early Stone Age (ESA) africana. Aplicación analítica, metodológica y experimental en los yacimientos arqueológicos del Lecho II de la Garganta de Olduvai, Tanzania

“…En el norte de Tanzania se localizan los yacimientos de Peninj, donde se han documentado industrias achelenses datadas entre 1,6-1,4 Ma (Diez Martín y Eren, 2012;Diez Martín et al, 2009a;2009b;2009b;Domínguez Rodrigo et al, 2009a;2009c;2009d;de la Torre, 2009;. También en Tanzania, en la Garganta de Olduvai, se documentan industrias achelenses en una panoplia de yacimientos desde el Lecho II, entre los que podríamos destacar ejemplos tales como EF-HR o TK (Diez Martín et al, 2015;Leakey, 1971;Rubio Jara et al, 2017;Santonja et al, 2014;; de la Torre y Mora et al, 2018; la Torre y Wehr, 2018 entre otros).…”

“…Todas estas investigaciones continúan ampliando nuestro conocimiento de las formas de vida y de las mentes de los primeros ancestros humanos incluyendo, en un primer momento, nuevas reconstrucciones sobre la formación y el paleoambiente de los yacimientos más significativos del Lecho I (Ashley et al, 2010), así como nuevas interpretaciones de los yacimientos excavados con anterioridad por los Leakey (Domínguez Rodrigo, 2009e Domínguez-Rodrigo et al, 2007. En una segunda fase de trabajos de investigación se profundizó en el estudio interdisciplinar de los Lechos I y II, obteniendo información arqueológica (tecnológicos, de comportamiento humano y tafonómicos) así como geomorfológica, geológica, geoquímica, paleobotánica y paleontológica (Aramendi et al, 2017;Ashley et al, 2014a;2014b;Bunn y Gurtov, 2014;Diez Martín et al, 2009b;Domínguez Rodrigo et al, 2009b;2009e;2010a;2014b;2014c;2014d;Domínguez Rodrigo y Cobo Sánchez, 2018;Egeland, 2014;Gurtov y Eren., 2014;Mercader et al, 2017;Rubio Jara et al, 2017;Sánchez Yustos, 2016;Sánchez Yustos et al, 2017Santonja et al, 2014Santonja et al, , 2018Organista, 2018;Uribelarrea et al, 2014;Yravedra et al, 2016;. Esta ingente cantidad de trabajos tienen el propósito de mejorar el conocimiento de la evolución del comportamiento humano durante el olduvayense y el achelense en la Garganta de Olduvai.…”

“…Como se señala en este artículo (Rubio Jara et al, 2017), otros autores, a partir de sus características macroscópicas o a través de criterios netamente petrográficos, han determinado que esta materia se corresponde con el cuarzo. Aunque actualmente se está llevando a cabo un intenso programa de investigación petrográfica y cristalográfica para determinar la verdadera naturaleza de esta roca (F. Diez Martín, com.…”