Person: Martín Perea, David Manuel
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David Manuel
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Martín Perea
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Universidad Complutense de Madrid
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Item Flint and Quartzite: Distinguishing Raw Material Through Bone Cut Marks(Archaeometry, 2017) Maté-González, Miguel Ángel; Yravedra Sainz De Los Terreros, José; Martín Perea, David Manuel; Palomeque-González, J.; San‐Juan‐Blazquez, M.; Estaca-Gómez, Verónica; Uribelarrea del Val, David; Álvarez-Alonso, David; Cuartero, F.; Cuartero Monteagudo, Felipe; González-Aguilera, D.; Domínguez‐Rodrigo, M.Since the 1980s, several experimental analyses have been able to differentiate some lithic tool types and some of their raw materials according to the morphology of cut marks imprinted by such tools when used for butchering activities. Thus, metal tool use has been differentiated in contexts with an abundance of lithic tools, or even the use of hand axes has been documented in carcass processing, in contrast with simple unretouched or retouched flakes. As important as this information is, there are still other important aspects to be analysed. Can cut marks produced with different lithic raw material types be differentiated? Can cut marks made with different types of the same raw material type be characterized and differentiated? The objective of this study is to evaluate if cut marks resulting from the use of different flints and different quartzites are distinguishable from each other. In the present work, an experimental analysis of hundreds of cut marks produced by five types of flint and five varieties of quartzite was carried out. Microphotogrammetry and geometric–morphometric techniques were applied to analyse these cut marks. The results show that flint cut marks and quartzite cut marks can be characterized at the assemblage level. Different types of flint produced cut marks that were not significantly different from each other. Cut marks made with Olduvai Gorge quartzite were significantly different from those produced with a set comprising several other types of quartzites. Crystal size, which is larger in Olduvai Gorge quartzites (0.5 mm) than Spanish quartzites (177–250 μm), is discussed as being the main reason for these statistically significant differences. This documented intra‐sample and inter‐sample variance does not hinder the resolution of the approach to differentiate between these two generic raw material types and opens the door for the application of this method in archaeological contexts.Item Cut marks and raw material exploitation in the lower pleistocene site of Bell's Korongo (BK, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania): A geometric morphometric analysis(Quaternary International, 2019) Courtenay, Lloyd A.; Yravedra Sainz De Los Terreros, José; Aramendi, Julia; Maté-González, Miguel Ángel; Martín Perea, David Manuel; Uribelarrea del Val, David; Baquedano, Enrique; González Aguilera, Diego; Domínguez-Rodrigo, ManuelThe Lower Pleistocene site of Bell's Korongo (BK) in Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) has been a key site for the study of the origin of human behaviour. The lower archaeological levels of BK are characterized by anthropogenic activity related to the exploitation of megafauna (elephant, hippopotamus, Sivatherium) and smaller game (zebra, wildebeest and antelopes). These remains display a high frequency of cut marks. The exceptional state of preservation of the BK fossil assemblage has allowed a wide range of different analyses that, among other things, detected the use of quartzite in butchering activities through the study of cut marks. Following up previous analyses, this paper presents the study of a series of cut marks from the BK faunal assemblage using a 3D geometric morphometric methodological approach in order to determine the mineralogical properties of the quartzite used at the site. BK cut marks are compared with experimentally produced cut marks using 9 mineralogically different quartzite types from Olduvai Gorge. This comparative analysis provides valuable hints about the exact nature of the raw materials used in butchering activities. The results presented here identify a preferential use of quartzite with a finer granular composition, suggesting that hominin populations were already selecting the best raw materials for their use in specific activities 1.3 Mya.Item A taphonomic analysis of PTK (Bed I, Olduvai Gorge) and its bearing on the interpretation of the dietary and eco-spatial behaviors of early humans(Quaternary Science Reviews, 2023) Organista, Elia; Moclán, Abel; Aramendi, Julia; Cobo Sánchez, Lucía; Egeland, Charles Peter; Uribelarrea del Val, David; Martín Perea, David Manuel; Vegara Riquelme, Marina; Hernández Vivanco, Alicia; Gidna, Agness; Mabula, Audax; Baquedano, Enrique; Domínguez Rodrigo, ManuelHere, we present a thorough taphonomic analysis of the 1.84 million-year-old site of Phillip Tobias Korongo (PTK), Bed I, Olduvai Gorge. PTK is one of the new archaeological sites documented on the FLK Zinj paleolandscape, in which FLK 22 level was deposited and covered by Tuff IC. Therefore, PTK is pene-contemporary with these sites: FLK Zinj, DS, AMK and AGS. The occurrence of these sites within a thin clay unit of ∼20 cm, occupying not only the same vertically discrete stratigraphic unit, but also the same paleosurface, with an exceptional preservation of the archaeological record in its primary depositional locus, constitutes a unique opportunity to explore early hominin behavioral diversity at the most limited geochronological scale possible. The Olduvai Bed I sites have been the core of behavioral modelling for the past half a century, and the newly discovered sites, excavated with 21st century technology, will increase significantly our understanding of early human adaptive patterns. Here, we present PTK as another assemblage where faunal resources were acquired by hominins prior to any carnivore, and where stone-tool assisted bulk defleshing was carried out. The abundance of juvenile individuals extends our understanding, as in Kanjera (Kenya), about the hunting skills of early Homo sensu lato. The increasing number of sites, where bulk defleshing of small and medium-sized carcasses took place is underscoring the importance of meat in the diets of some of the early hominins, and their patterned use of the space for food processing and consumption. The patterning emerging has a profound importance for the evolution of some of the features that have traditionally been used to identify the behavior of the genus Homo.Item The Dorothy Garrod Site: a new Middle Stone Age locality in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania(Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2022) Maíllo Fernández, José Manuel; Marín, Juan; Martín Perea, David Manuel; Uribelarrea del Val, David; Asiaín Román, Raquel; Solano Megías, Irene; Baquedano, Enrique; Domínguez Rodrigo, Manuel; Gidna, Agness; Medialdea, Alicia; Steven, Hekima Mwamakimbula; Chilonzi, Daniel Haruni; Arteaga, Carlos; Mabulla, AudaxOlduvai Gorge (Tanzania) is a key site for the study of human evolution as well as the origin of modern humans and the Middle Stone Age (MSA). In this study, we present a new MSA location named Dorothy Garrod Site (DGS), found in the main branch of Olduvai Gorge. The site has only one archaeological level, located stratigraphically in the Upper Ndutu. Although it has not yet been possible to radiometrically date it, it has yielded numerous archaeological remains with a functional association between the faunal remains and the lithic industry. The fauna identified includes Alcelaphini, Hippotragini, and Equidae, some of which present percussion marks and evidence of burning. The lithic industry involved knapping using discoid methods. The retouched blanks are denticulates and retouched flakes with, up to now, a total absence of points. DGS is therefore a new site that will aid our understanding of modern human occupations in northern Tanzania in a period for which there is a dearth of properly contextualised archaeological evidence.Item A geoarchaeological reassessment of the co-occurrence of the oldest Acheulean and Oldowan in a fluvial ecotone from lower middle Bed II (1.7ma) at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)(Quaternary International, 2019) Uribelarrea del Val, David; Martín Perea, David Manuel; Diez-Martín, Fernando; Baquedano, Enrique; Mabulla, Audax Z.P.; Barba, Rebeca; Gidna, Agnes; Domínguez-Rodrigo, ManuelThe coexistence of the oldest Acheulean and Oldowan industries means that the appearance of the former cannot be due to an anagenetic development from the latter. At Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, both industries are found within the same chronostratigraphic unit, the Lower Augitic Sandstone (LAS; 1.7 Ma), at HWK, HWK-E, HWK-EE (Oldowan) and FLK-W and FLK-N (Acheulean). Recently, McHenry and Stanistreet (2018) and Stanistreet et al. (2018) have argued that the Acheulean site of FLK West is actually located within a more recent stratigraphic unit, the Middle Augitic Sandstone (MAS). If so, the Acheulean could potentially have evolved from the Oldowan anagenetically. We test this hypothesis by reviewing the stratigraphy of the LAS from the HWK area to the FLK-W site. Hay's (1976) previous work stresses the continuity of the LAS from HWK-EE to FLK-NN, and stratigraphic and sedimentological evidence indicates that while the MAS has eroded away, the LAS is continuous throughout the study area. According to Hay (1976), Uribelarrea et al. (2017) and this work, the LAS is present at HWK-EE, HWK-E, HWK, HWK-W, FLK-S, FLK-W, FLK-N and FLK-NN. The emergence of the Acheulean at Olduvai Gorge ca. 1.7Ma and its coexistence with the Oldowan thus demonstrates a cladogenetic, rather than an anagenetic, origin for the Acheulean. This has implications for the behavioral and biological interpretations of the origin and co-existence of both types of industries.Item Early Pleistocene faunivorous hominins were not kleptoparasitic, and this impacted the evolution of human anatomy and socio-ecology(Scientific reports, 2021) Domínguez Rodrigo, Manuel; Baquedano, Enrique; Organista, Elia; Cobo Sánchez, Lucía; Mabulla, Audax; Maskara, Vivek; Gidna, Agnes; Pizarro Monzo, Marcos; Aramendi, Julia; Galán Abellán, Ana Belén; Cifuentes Alcobendas, Gabriel; Vegara Riquelme, Marina; Jiménez García, Blanca; Abellán, Natalia; Barba, Rebeca; Uribelarrea del Val, David; Martín Perea, David Manuel; Díez Martín, Fernando; Maíllo Fernández, José Manuel; Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio; Courtenay, Lloyd A.; Mora, Rocío; Maté González, Miguel Ángel; González Aguilera, DiegoHumans are unique in their diet, physiology and socio-reproductive behavior compared to other primates. They are also unique in the ubiquitous adaptation to all biomes and habitats. From an evolutionary perspective, these trends seem to have started about two million years ago, coinciding with the emergence of encephalization, the reduction of the dental apparatus, the adoption of a fully terrestrial lifestyle, resulting in the emergence of the modern anatomical bauplan, the focalization of certain activities in the landscape, the use of stone tools, and the exit from Africa. It is in this period that clear taphonomic evidence of a switch in diet with respect to Pliocene hominins occurred, with the adoption of carnivory. Until now, the degree of carnivorism in early humans remained controversial. A persistent hypothesis is that hominins acquired meat irregularly (potentially as fallback food) and opportunistically through klepto-foraging. Here, we test this hypothesis and show, in contrast, that the butchery practices of early Pleistocene hominins (unveiled through systematic study of the patterning and intensity of cut marks on their prey) could not have resulted from having frequent secondary access to carcasses. We provide evidence of hominin primary access to animal resources and emphasize the role that meat played in their diets, their ecology and their anatomical evolution, ultimately resulting in the ecologically unrestricted terrestrial adaptation of our species. This has major implications to the evolution of human physiology and potentially for the evolution of the human brain.Item Victoria Cabrera Site: A Middle Stone Age site at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania(Quaternary International, 2019) Maíllo-Fernández, José-Manuel; Marín, Juan; Solano Megías, Irene; Uribelarrea del Val, David; Martín Perea, David Manuel; Aramendi, Julia; Medialdea, Alicia; Arteaga, Carlos; Pernas Hernandez, Marta; Gidna, Agnes; Neogi, Sayantani; Baudot, Eva; Narváez, Carlos; Mabulla, AudaxOlduvai Gorge (Tanzania) is a key site for the study and comprehension of human evolution in East Africa. However, the origin of Homo sapiens and the Middle Stone Age have been poorly understood in the Gorge thus far. In this study, we present the dating, taphonomic, technological and typological analyses of the lithic industry and faunal remains excavated at the Victoria Cabrera Site (VCS) during the 2017 fieldwork season. The stratigraphic sequence of the site contains several levels of fluvial origin, some of them with lithic and faunal remains. Most remains (lithics and bones) are affected by rounding processes. Infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating has provided ages between 90 and 70 ka BP for these layers that can be related to the Marine Isotope Stage 5a. Lithics are scarce and the dominant raw materials are Naibor Soit quarzite and basalt, followed by phonolite, chert and quartz as the most common raw materials. The lithic technology is based on the production of flakes obtained from prepared cores, with the discoid method and, to a lesser extent the Levallois method being the most frequently used. The retouched blanks are described as “substratum” or “domestic” tools (sidescrapers, notches or denticulates). There is just one heavy duty piece and points are absent. The faunal assemblage includes Alcelaphinae, Antilopinae and Equidae. The major parts of the unidentified faunal remains are size 3 ungulates, followed by carcasses of size 2 and size 4 species. We cannot relate lithic and bones because no cut marks or percussion marks have been identified and carnivore action is scarce. In sum, VCS represents the first accurately dated Middle Stone Age site, with lithic and faunal remains in Olduvai Gorge.Item Mineral assemblages and low energy sedimentary processes in the FLK-Zinj, DS, PTK and AMK complex palaeolandscape (Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania)(Quaternary International, 2019) Martín Perea, David Manuel; Fesharaki, Omid; Rey Samper, Jesús Javier; Arroyo Rey, Xabier; Uribelarrea del Val, David; Cobo-Sánchez, Lucía; Baquedano, Enrique; Mabulla, Audax; Domínguez Rodrigo, ManuelThe mineralogical composition of the clay stratum (level 22) that contains the FLK Zinj-DS-PTK-AMK complex, the only example of pene-contemporaneous early Pleistocene sites occurring on the same palaeolandscape and simultaneously covered by the same ash fall tuff, shows significant intra-site and inter-site differences. Overall, level 22A is related to a more hydrologically closed system, with higher salinity and alkalinity than level 22B. Both levels show fresher water was entering the system from the DS area during deposition. Textural analysis of the studied samples shows great microporosity and abundant edge-to-edge and edge-to-face contacts between crystals. These results have major repercussions for the interpretation of the archaeological assemblages in the FLK Zinj-DS-PTK-AMK palaeolandscape. First, this implies that two distinct archaeological levels formed at different times with different environmental conditions in most of these localities. Second, textural analyses provide evidence that no important sedimentary compaction took place after the deposition of this layer. This affects interpretations of palaeolandscape geomorphology. Third, it shows that the sedimentary processes during all the clay sequence occurred in very low-energy conditions. This reinforces that no significant physical forces disturbed the original configurations of materials contained within these assemblages and reinforces their autochthony. Behavioural interpretations can, thus, be more solidly built upon the conception that those sites preserve most of their original in situ properties.