Expanded geographic distribution and dietary strategies of the earliest Oldowan hominins and Paranthropus

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 hippopotam...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 379; no. 6632; pp. 561 - 566
Main Authors:	Plummer, Thomas W, Oliver, James S, Finestone, Emma M, Ditchfield, Peter W, Bishop, Laura C, Blumenthal, Scott A, Lemorini, Cristina, Caricola, Isabella, Bailey, Shara E, Herries, Andy I R, Parkinson, Jennifer A, Whitfield, Elizabeth, Hertel, Fritz, Kinyanjui, Rahab N, Vincent, Thomas H, Li, Youjuan, Louys, Julien, Frost, Stephen R, Braun, David R, Reeves, Jonathan S, Early, Emily D G, Onyango, Blasto, Lamela-Lopez, Raquel, Forrest, Frances L, He, Huaiyu, Lane, Timothy P, Frouin, Marine, Nomade, Sébastien, Wilson, Evan P, Bartilol, Simion K, Rotich, Nelson Kiprono, Potts, Richard
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 10-02-2023 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Subjects:	Animals Biological Evolution Bone and Bones Diet Feeding Behavior Food processing Fossils Geographical distribution Hominidae Hominini Kenya Ocean, Atmosphere Paleontology Paranthropus Plants Sciences of the Universe Tool use Kenya
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Summary:	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 C 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. sp. teeth, the first from southwestern Kenya, possessed carbon isotopic values indicative of a diet rich in C foods. We argue that the earliest Oldowan was more widespread than previously known, used to process diverse foods including megafauna, and associated with from its onset.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0036-8075 1095-9203
DOI:	10.1126/science.abo7452