Ichnological and archaeological evidence from Gombore II OAM Melka Kunture, Ethiopia: An integrated approach to reconstruct local environments and biological presences between 1.2 and 0.85 Ma

QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS

卷:244

Article

Altamura, Flavio^1,2  Bennett, Matthew R.³  Marchetti, Lorenzo⁴  Melis, Rita T.^2,5  Reynolds, Sally C.³  Mussi, Margherita^1,2 

[1] Univ Roma Sapienza Piazzale, Dipartimento Sci Antichit, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome, Italy

[2] Italo Spanish Archaeol Miss Melka Kunture, Rome, Italy

[3] Bournemouth Univ, Inst Studies Landscapes & Human Evolut, Poole BH12 5BB, Dorset, England

[4] Urweltmuseum GEOSKOP Burg Lichtenberg Pfalz, Burgstr 19, D-66871 Thallichtenberg, Germany

[5] Univ Cagliari, Dipartimento Sci Chim & Geol, Via Trentino 51, I-009127 Cagliari, Italy

关键词: Melka Kunture;    Pleistocene;    Gombore;    Archaeology;    Fossil footprints;    Ichnology;    Palaeoenvironment;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106506

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

New ichnological data are available at the prehistoric site of Melka Kunture, Upper Awash Valley in Ethiopia. Excavation of new test pits enabled us to explore the volcanic and fluvio-lacustrine sequence at the Gombore II Open Air Museum archaeological site (ca. 0.85 Ma). This has allowed a detailed recon-struction of the palaeoenvironment and of the fauna present in the time interval between 1.2 and 0.85 Ma. Various-sized mammals, birds, molluscs as well as hominins left tracks throughout the sequence, and document a varied fauna and associated behaviours. Most of the hominin tracks were made by young individuals on the basis of size and are some of the earlier child tracks to be reported. The mollusc traces document the presence and orientation of water streams which, according to the asso-ciated vertebrate traces, were visited by hominins, mammals and birds. Most of these traces were found within levels traditionally considered barren for archaeology, yet they all document life activity and are always in situ. This confirms the potential of the ichnological research as an important complementary tool for archaeological investigations. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

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