Long-term behavioral adaptation of Oldowan toolmakers to resource-constrained environments at 2.3 Ma in the Lower Omo Valley (Ethiopia)

Anne Delagnes (1) , Aline Galland (1) , Brad Gravina (2) , Pascal Bertran (3) , Marion Corbé (4) , Michel Brenet (3) , Haregwin Belete Hailu (5) , Fikeru Mekonenn Sissay (6) , Bisrat Gebreegziabher Araya (1) , Misganaw Gebremichael Woldetsadik (1) , Jean-Renaud Boisserie (4)

1 PACEA - De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie
2 Musée National de Préhistoire
3 Inrap, Bègles - Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives - Centre de recherches archéologiques de Bègles
4 Palevoprim [Poitiers] - Laboratoire de paléontologie, évolution, paléoécosystèmes, paléoprimatologie [UMR 7262]
5 UniFE - Università degli Studi di Ferrara = University of Ferrara
6 University of Évora [Portugal]

The long stratigraphic sequence of the Shungura Formation in the Lower Omo Valley documents 3 million years (Ma) of hominin evolution, which, when combined with detailed paleo-depositional environmental data, opens new perspectives for understanding the complex interactions between hominin landscape use and the development of stone tool-mediated activities. Stone tool assemblages produced by Paranthropus aethiopicus and/or a species of early Homo from ~ 2.3 Ma , reflect their ability to deal with the raw material scarce environment of the Lower Omo Valley. It remains to be seen whether this activity can be related to a single, brief occupation event or the expression of an emergent new adaptation. Here we report on the newly investigated site complex of OMO 79, which produced the first evidence for multiple phases of hominin tool-making and use in the Shungura Formation. The development of this long-lasting techno-economic behavior marks a cognitive tipping point around 2.3 Ma in the Lower Omo Valley, evidenced by the adaptability of the early hominins to resource-constrained environments.

Mots clés: Oldowan; Lower Omo Valley; Early Pleistocene; Archaeology; Hominin behaviors

Domaines: Archéologie et Préhistoire

Anne Delagnes, Aline Galland, Brad Gravina, Pascal Bertran, Marion Corbé, et al.. Long-term behavioral adaptation of Oldowan toolmakers to resource-constrained environments at 2.3 Ma in the Lower Omo Valley (Ethiopia). Scientific Reports, 2023, 13 (1), pp.14350. ⟨10.1038/s41598-023-40793-3⟩. ⟨hal-04259459⟩