A taphonomic investigation of aquatic reptiles (Crocodylus, Trionyx, and Pelusios) at Lake Turkana, Kenya: Significance for early hominid ecology at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

West, Jolee Ann

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/20620 Copy

Description

Title

A taphonomic investigation of aquatic reptiles (Crocodylus, Trionyx, and Pelusios) at Lake Turkana, Kenya: Significance for early hominid ecology at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

Author(s)

West, Jolee Ann

Issue Date

1995

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Giles, Eugene

Department of Study

Anthropology

Discipline

Anthropology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Anthropology, Archaeology
• Anthropology, Physical
• Paleontology
• Paleoecology

Language

eng

Abstract

• Crocodile and turtles are well represented at a number of the Olduvai archaeological sites, although the nature of their association with the lithic artifacts and the other faunal materials has never been investigated using taphonomic methodology. This thesis presents the results of an investigation of the taphonomic factors affecting the preservation and composition of aquatic reptile bone assemblages, particularly Crocodylus, Pelusios, and Trionyx, their potential contribution to early hominid diet, and significance for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.
• "The field research, carried out along the eastern shores of Lake Turkana, Kenya, realized three main objectives: (1) a survey of modern surface assemblages of aquatic reptile remains, (2) a survey and study of aquatic reptile carcasses in ""kill-site"" contexts, and (3) a survey and mapping of short-term occupation sites of modern people utilizing aquatic reptiles in their diet. These data provide baseline expectations for aquatic reptile remains in various accumulative contexts and allow for the investigation of the biases in sampling and preservation potential that are specific to these taxa as a result of their physiology, habitats, and exposure to predation."
• The results of the taphonomic study are used to investigate the nature of aquatic reptile remains from various Olduvai Bed I and II archaeological sites. Specifically, this research addresses the site formation processes that operated at particular Olduvai sites, and examines previously offered models of early hominid land-use in light of the evidence for hominid involvement in the accumulation of aquatic reptiles.
• A new model for the activities of early hominids in the Olduvai Basin during Bed I and Lower Bed II times is offered that brings together archaeological, anatomical, and palaeoenvironmental data indicating that early Homo was restricted to foraging in lake-margin habitats, and that the evolution of H. erectus can be directly linked to the loss of this favored habitat and concomitant anatomical and behavioral adaptations to increasing aridity during Bed II times.

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/20620

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 1995 West, Jolee Ann

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