RT Journal Article
T1 The Origin of The Acheulean: The 1.7 Million-Year-Old Site of FLK West, Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
A1 Díez Martín, Fernando
A1 Sánchez Yustos, Policarpo
A1 Baquedano, Enrique
A1 Uribelarrea Del Val, David
A1 Mark, Darren F.
A1 Mabulla, Audax Z. P.
A1 Fraile, Cristina
A1 Duque, Javier
A1 Díaz Muñoz, Isabel M.
A1 Pérez González, Alfredo José
A1 Yravedra Sainz De Los Terreros, José
A1 Egeland, Charles Peter
A1 Organista, Elia
A1 Domínguez-Rodrigo, Manuel
AB The appearance of the acheulean is one of the hallmarks of human evolution. It represents the emergence of a complex behavior, expressed in the recurrent manufacture of large-sized tools, with standardized forms, implying more advance forethought and planning by hominins than those required by the precedent Oldowan technology. The earliest known evidence of this technology dates back to c. 1.7 Ma. and is limited to two sites (Kokiselei [Kenya] and Konso [Ethiopia]), both of which lack functionally-associated fauna. The functionality of these earliest Acheulean assemblages remains unknown. Here we present the discovery of another early Acheulean site also dating to c. 1.7 Ma from Olduvai Gorge. This site provides evidence of the earliest steps in developing the Acheulean technology and is the oldest acheulean site in which stone tools occur spatially and functionally associated with the exploitation of fauna. Simple and elaborate large-cutting tools (LCT) and bifacial handaxes co-exist at FLK West, showing that complex cognition was present from the earliest stages of the acheulean. Here we provide a detailed technological study and evidence of the use of these tools on the butchery and consumption of fauna, probably by early Homo erectus sensu lato.
PB Nature Research
SN 2045-2322
YR 2015
FD 2015-12
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/23825
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/23825
LA eng
NO Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO)
NO Ministerio de Cultura
DS Docta Complutense
RD 12 abr 2025