College of Humanities

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Browsing College of Humanities by Author "Alcalá, Luis"

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    The Acheulean sites from South Escarpment
    (2009-01) Rodrigo, Manuel D.; Serrallonga, Jordi; Luque, L.; Martín, Fernando D.; Alcalá, Luis; Bushozi, Pastory G.M.
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    The archaeology of the Middle Pleistocene deposits of Lake Eyasi, Tanzania
    (2007-05) Rodrigo, Manuel D.; Martín, Fernando D.; Mabulla, Audax ZP.; Luque, L.; Alcalá, Luis; Vinagre, Antonio T.; Sáez, José A. L.; Barba, R.; Bushozi, Pastory G.M.
    Ongoing archaeological research at North Lake Eyasi has produced a wealth of information, including a new hominid fossil and several archaeological sites dating to the end of the Middle Pleistocene. One of the sites (WB9) has been excavated and has produced evidence of multiple processes in its formation, including evidence of functional associations of stone tools and faunal remains which are scarce for this time period. The stone tool industry is based on a core and flake industry, which is not very diagnostic and attributed to MSA. Earlier heavy-duty tools classified as Sangoan may derive from the underlying Eyasi Beds. The stratigraphic provenience of previous fossil hominids is unknown. Surface collections from the Eyasi lake, thus, comprise two different sets of stone tools and fossils, which can only be clearly differentiated in the field. This advises against the use of previously curated collections as a homogeneous sample. Earlier definitions of the Njarasa industry should be revised. This work presents results on the paleoecology of the area and of its paleontological and archaeological information, with special reference to the excavation of WB9, the most complete site discovered in the area so far. This contributes to the limited information available about site functionality and hominid subsistential behaviour in East Africa during the end of the Middle Pleistocene. A technological study from WB9 also shows the variability of stone tool traditions at this time
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    The archaeology of the North Escarpment
    (2009-01) Rodrigo, Manuel D.; Martín, F. D.; Luque, L.; Alcalá, Luis; Bushozi, Pastory G.M.
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    A new archaic Homo sapiens fossil from Lake Eyasi, Tanzania
    (2008-06) Rodrigo, Manuel D.; Mabulla, Audax ZP.; Luque, L.; Thompson, J. W.; Rink, W.J; Bushozi, Pastory G.M.; Martín, Fernando D.; Alcalá, Luis
    The Kohl Larsen expeditions to Lake Eyasi (Tanzania) in the early 20th century discovered the remains of three hominid skulls, one of them fairly complete (Eyasi 1), of unknown Middle Pleistocene age (Mehlman, 1984, 1989). The lack of chronological control resulted in the exclusion of these remains from the mainstream of discussions concerning the emergence of Homo sapiens. Since then, a hominid mandible and occipital fragments have been discovered (Mehlman, 1989; Brauer and Mabulla, 1996). Recently a new frontal bone was retrieved from the lake sediments in association with a core and flake industry classified within the early MSA (Middle Stone Age) tradition (Domı´nguez-Rodrigo et al., 2007). All these specimens come from the areas of Northeast Bay and West Bay into which the fossiliferous Eyasi region can be divided (Mehlman, 1987, 1989; Fig. 1). Lake Eyasi is an asymmetric lacustrine basin in relation to the Tanzanian Divergence Zone of the Gregory Rift. It is situated south of the Crater Highlands and is formed by a tectonic step constituted by the escarpment resulting from a northwest fault. A flexure zone can be documented to the east where the Proterozoic and Archaean basement outcrops (Ebinger et al., 1997). The Eyasi lake basin adopted its modern form about 1 million years ago (Pickering, 1961; Mac Intyr