Journal article
Expanded geographic distribution and dietary strategies of the earliest Oldowan hominins and Paranthropus
- Abstract:
- The oldest Oldowan tool sites, from around 2.6 million years ago, have previously been confined to Ethiopia's Afar Triangle. We describe sites at Nyayanga, Kenya, dated to 3.032 to 2.581 million years ago and expand this distribution by over 1300 kilometers. Furthermore, we found two hippopotamid butchery sites associated with mosaic vegetation and a C4 grazer-dominated fauna. Tool flaking proficiency was comparable with that of younger Oldowan assemblages, but pounding activities were more common. Tool use-wear and bone damage indicate plant and animal tissue processing. Paranthropus sp. teeth, the first from southwestern Kenya, possessed carbon isotopic values indicative of a diet rich in C4 foods. We argue that the earliest Oldowan was more widespread than previously known, used to process diverse foods including megafauna, and associated with Paranthropus from its onset.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
Actions
Access Document
- Files:
-
-
(Preview, Accepted manuscript, pdf, 3.9MB, Terms of use)
-
- Publisher copy:
- 10.1126/science.abo7452
Authors
- Publisher:
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Journal:
- Science More from this journal
- Volume:
- 379
- Issue:
- 6632
- Pages:
- 561-566
- Publication date:
- 2023-02-10
- Acceptance date:
- 2023-01-04
- DOI:
- EISSN:
-
1095-9203
- ISSN:
-
0036-8075
- Pmid:
-
36758076
- Language:
-
English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
-
1328450
- Local pid:
-
pubs:1328450
- Deposit date:
-
2023-02-28
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Plummer et al.
- Copyright date:
- 2023
- Rights statement:
- Copyright © 2023 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. https://www.sciencemag.org/about/science-licenses-journal-article-reuse This is an article distributed under the terms of the Science Journals Default License.
- Notes:
-
This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science, vol. 379, on 10/2/23, DOI: 10.1126/science.abo7452
If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record