Early Oldowan technology thrived during Pliocene environmental change in the Turkana Basin, Kenya
Braun, David R. (George Washington University)
Palcu Rolier, Dan V. (University of São Paulo)
Advokaat, Eldert L. (Utrecht University)
Archer, Will (University of the Free State)
Baraki, Niguss G. (Addis Ababa University)
Biernat, Maryse D. (Arizona State University)
Beaudoin, Ella (University of Cambridge)
Behrensmeyer, Anna K. (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)
Bobe, René (Universidade do Algarve)
Elmes, Katherine (University of Cape Town)
Forrest, Frances (Fairfield University)
Hammond, Ashley S. (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Jovane, Luigi (University of São Paulo)
Kinyanjui, Rahab N. (Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology)
de Martini, Ana P. (University of São Paulo)
Mason, Paul R. D. (Utrecht University)
McGrosky, Amanda (Elon University)
Munga, Joanne (George Washington University)
Ndiema, Emmanuel K. (National Museums of Kenya)
Patterson, David B. (University of North Georgia)
Reeves, Jonathan S. (Universidade do Algarve)
Roman, Diana C. (Carnegie Institution for Science)
Sier, Mark J. (Leiden University)
Srivastava, Priyeshu (Indian Institute of Geomagnetism)
Tuosto, Kristen (Cultural Resources Management Department)
Uno, Kevin T. (Harvard University)
Villaseñor, Amelia (The University of Arkansas)
Wynn, Jonathan G. (National Science Foundation)
Harris, John W. K. (National Museums of Kenya)
Carvalho, Susana (Universidade do Porto)

Data:	2025
Resum:	Approximately 2. 75 million years ago, the Turkana Basin in Kenya experienced environmental changes, including increased aridity and environmental variability. Namorotukunan is a newly discovered archaeological site which provides a window into hominin behavioral adaptations. This site lies within the upper Tulu Bor and lower Burgi members of the Koobi Fora Formation (Marsabit District, Kenya), presently a poorly understood time interval due to large-scale erosional events. Moreover, this locale represents the earliest known evidence of Oldowan technology within the Koobi Fora Formation. Oldowan sites, older than 2. 6 million years ago, are rare, and these typically represent insights from narrow windows of time. In contrast, Namorotukunan provides evidence of tool-making behaviors spanning hundreds of thousands of years, offering a unique temporal perspective on technological stability. The site comprises three distinct archaeological horizons spanning approximately 300,000 years (2. 75 - 2. 44 Ma). Our findings suggest continuity in tool-making practices over time, with evidence of systematic selection of rock types. Geological descriptions and chronological data, provide robust age control and contextualize the archaeological finds. We employ multiple paleoenvironmental proxies, to reconstruct past ecological conditions. Our study highlights the interplay between environmental shifts and technological innovations, shedding light on pivotal factors in the trajectory of human evolution.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Publicat a:	Nature communications, Vol. 16 (November 2025) , art. 9401, ISSN 2041-1723

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64244-x
PMID: 41188262

16 p, 6.8 MB

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