Spatial behaviours of Early Oldowan toolmakers in the Shungura Formation (Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia): Proposal for an integrated approach

Abstract

The spatial relationships of the Early Oldowan toolmakers with their environment have been so far addressed through raw material procurement analyses and the characterization of hominid habitat. This paper proposes to integrate these two approaches into a broader spatial analysis encompassing archaeological and environmental data (palaeontological, geological and isotopic data) from Member F and lower Member G of the Shungura Formation (Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia). Heterogeneity in data resolution induces a multiscale approach with three levels of analysis. The level of occurrence complex allows focusing on the characterization of archaeological occurrences and on their environmental settings. The level of “study area” allows working on hominid habitats and on their raw material procurement behaviours. Finally, at the Shungura Formation scale, we can address temporal issues related to the evolution of spatial behaviours between Member F and the lower part of Member G, ca. 2.3 to 2million years (Ma).