Reconstructing Olduvai: The Behavior of Early Humans at David's Site - Softcover

Domínguez-Rodrigo PhD, Manuel; Cobo-Sánchez PhD, Lucía; Baquedano PhD, Enrique; Mabulla PhD, Audax; Gidna PhD, Agness; Diez-Martin PhD, Fernando

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0443273820 ISBN 13: 9780443273827

Publisher: Academic Press, 2024

Synopsis

Reconstructing Olduvai: The Behavior of Early Humans at David's Site provides the necessary information for future generations of archaeologists to peer into the lifestyle of early humans. Much of what is known about these hominins originates from the detailed excavations that Mary Leakey carried out at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. Since then, work at Olduvai has produced a wealth of new fossils, resulting in the discovery of David's Site, the biggest early Pleistocene site in the world. This will be an indispensable resource for students, academics, and researchers who share an interest in the evolution of early human behavior.

Written by leaders of present-day excavations at Olduvai Gorge, this book is systematically divided into three parts to deliver a clear account of the research advancements at David's Site. Part I focuses on the presentation of the site and the description of its geological and palaeoecological reconstruction. Part II examines hominin feeding habits, including how they brought, processed, and consumed animals at the site. Part III explores hominin technologies, including reconstruction of the stone-tool activities carried out at the site.

• Describes the discovery and excavation of David’s Site (DS) at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania • Details the geological and paleoecological reconstruction of all Olduvai Gorge Bed I sites • Summarizes the impact of taphonomic analyses at Bed I sites on our understanding of early human behaviors • Explores the dietary habits and technologies of early Pleistocene hominins

About this title

About the Authors

Dr. Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo is a Professor of Prehistory in the University of Alcalá’s Department of History and Philosophy. He is co-director of Institute of Evolution in Africa (IDEA) and of the Olduvai Palaeoanthropology and Palaeoecology Project (TOPPP). He has also co-directed paleoanthropological projects in Peninj, Eyasi, and Olduvai Gorge and has been guest professor at the Universities of Harvard, Rutgers, St. Louis, and Rice. His specialties are taphonomy and palaoanthropology.

Dr. Lucía Cobo-Sánchez is a Researcher with the Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behavior (ICArEHB) at the University of Algarve. She obtained her PhD in Archaeology from the University Complutense, and her research focuses on subsistence and socio-ecological adaptations of hominins. Dr. Cobo-Sánchez’s fieldwork spans South Africa, Namibia, Iberia, Germany, and Tanzania. She is a collaborator with IDEA in several studies of early Pleistocene sites in Olduvai Gorge.

Dr. Enrique Baquedano is co-director of the Institute of Evolution in Africa (IDEA) and Visiting Professor at the University of Alcalá. He is director of the Regional Archaeological Museum and co-director of the Olduvai Palaeoanthropology and Palaeoecology Project (TOPPP). His research focuses on taphonomy and historiography.

Dr. Audax Mabulla is Associate Professor of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam and Field Coordinator of the University’s Archaeology Unit. His research focuses on modern-day Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania’s Lake Eyasi Basin, and he is an active champion of the land rights of the Hadza.

Dr. Agness Gidna is principal conservator at the National Museum of Tanzania. She obtained her PhD from the University of Alcalá and is a founder of the largest Pastoral Neolithic site in sub-saharan Africa (Luxmanda Site). She is the first Tanzanian woman to hold a doctorate in Physical Anthropology and the first female research director at Olduvai Gorge, where she is a co-principal investigator of the Olduvai Palaeoanthropology and Palaeoecology Project (TOPPP).

From the Back Cover

Reconstructing Olduvai: The Behavior of Early Humans at David's Site provides the necessary information for future generations of archaeologists to peer into the lifestyle of early humans. Much of what is known about these hominins originates from the detailed excavations that Mary Leakey carried out at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. Since then, work at Olduvai has produced a wealth of new fossils, resulting in the discovery of David's Site, the biggest early Pleistocene site in the world. Its exceptional preservation and size make it an invaluable paleoarcheological finding, and this book details the insights discovered therein about the dietary, technological, and social behaviors of hominins. Written by leaders of present-day excavations at Olduvai Gorge, this book is systematically divided into three parts to deliver a clear account of the research advancements at David's Site. Part I focuses on the presentation of the site and the description of its geological and paleoecological reconstruction. Part II examines hominin feeding habits, including how they brought, processed, and consumed animals at the site. Part III explores hominin technologies, including reconstruction of the stone-tool activities carried out at the site. Reconstructing Olduvai offers a much-needed update to the decades-old monographs focused on Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, by providing novel information on the fossils, sites, technologies, and behaviors of early humans. It is an indispensable resource for students, academics, and researchers who share an interest in the evolution of early human behavior.

Edition details

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0443273820
• ISBN 13: 9780443273827
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 350