Hominins performed a variety of carcass processing activities at two sites in the Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

In this paper, pounded objects from excavations at HWK EE and EF-HR are presented, which are studied from macro and microscopic perspectives.

Analysis of HWK EE revealed one of the largest collections of percussive objects from Olduvai Gorge, while excavations at EF-HR have allowed a team of archaeologists ffom University College London to recover a much wider collection of percussive tools than previously recorded. Differences are observed between the two localities. At the Acheulean site of EF-HR, percussive tools were predominantly used in the production of flakes and large cutting tools (LCTs). At the Oldowan site of HWK EE, the tool repertoire probably related to a wider range of activities, including bone breaking and bipolar knapping. Comparison of these two assemblages, potentially produced by different hominin species, helps provide a wider picture of pounding activities during the Oldowan-Acheulean transition at Olduvai Gorge.

Pounding tools in HWK EE and EF-HR (Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania): Percussive activities in the Oldowan-Acheulean transition

Adrián Arroyo, Ignacio de la Torre

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.10.005

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