Lomekwi
Alternative name | LOM3 |
---|---|
Location | Turkana County, Kenya |
Region | Rift Valley Province |
Coordinates | 3°54′39″N 35°51′1″E / 3.91083°N 35.85028°E |
Type | Ancient campsite |
History | |
Periods | 3.3 million years ago |
Cultures | Australopithecus or Kenyanthropus |
Site notes | |
Excavation dates | 2011 | –present
Archaeologists | Sonia Harmand, Stony Brook University, US |
Public access | Limited |
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Lomekwi is an archaeological site located on the west bank of Turkana Lake in Kenya. It is an important milestone in the history of human archaeology. An archaeological team from Stony Brook University in the United States discovered traces of Lomekwi by chance in July 2011, and made substantial progress four years after in-depth excavations.
Artifacts excavated from Lomekwi date back to 3.3 million years ago, completely overturning the history of human use and tool making and advancing it by about 500,000 years. Its appearance, the most conspicuous among these cultural relics is a large stone tool with obvious traces of human processing. It looks like a cutting board, but its exact purpose is not clear yet.
The artifacts from Lomekwi have a unique production method and are an independent production style. The archaeological team calls it Lomekwian. These tools, which are not highly processed, completely distinguish Australopithecus from other primates, and it is highly likely that ancient humans already had basic cognitive abilities.
Discovery
In July 2011, a team of archeologists led by
Artifacts
Around 20 well preserved artifacts have been dug up at Lomekwi 3, including anvils, cores, and flakes. An additional 130 artifacts were found on the surface. In one instance, Harmand's team was able to match a flake to its core, suggesting a
Based on the buried artifacts' stratigraphic position (in undisturbed sediment) relative to two layers of volcanic ash and known magnetic reversals, Harmand and her team dated the tools to 3.3 million years ago.[1][2][3] The finds at Lomekwi therefore represent the oldest stone tools ever discovered, predating the Gona tools, dated to 2.6 mya,[5] by 700,000 years.
Hominin evolution
The date predates the genus Homo by 500,000 years, suggesting this tool making was undertaken by Australopithecus or Kenyanthropus (which was found near Lomekwi 3).[1] Previously, evidence of stone tool use by Australopithecus has been suggested on the basis of cut-marks on animal bones,[6] but those findings have been debated, with no scientific consensus forming on either side of the debate.[2]
Harmand said the Lomekwi 3 artifacts do not fit into the Oldowan tool making tradition and should be considered part of a distinct tradition, which she termed Lomekwian.[1] It has been hypothesized that tool making may have aided in the evolution of Homo into a distinct genus.[2] However, it is unclear whether the Lomekwian tools are related to those made by Homo species – it is possible the technology was forgotten and later rediscovered.[7]
Independent researchers who have seen the tools are generally supportive of Harmand's conclusions.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wong, Kate (20 May 2015). "Archaeologists Take Wrong Turn, Find World's Oldest Stone Tools". Scientific American Blog Network.
- ^ .
- ^ S2CID 1207285.
- ^ Morelle, Rebecca (20 May 2015). "Oldest stone tools pre-date earliest humans". BBC News.
- PMID 14529651.
- ISSN 1476-4687.
- ^ a b c Joyce, Christopher (15 April 2015). "New Discovery Of World's Oldest Stone Tools". NPR.
- ^ Hays, Brooks (16 April 2015). "World's oldest tools found near Africa's Lake Turkana". UPI.
External links
- Spoor, F; Leakey, L; Leakey, M (April 2002). A comparative study of Pliocene hominin fossils from Lomekwi, west of Lake Turkana (Kenya) (PDF). Seventy-First Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. p. 146.
- Feltman, Rachel (20 May 2015). "Stone tools may have been used before our genus came on the scene". Washington Post.
- List of stone tools and their 3D-model