Worked Bone Harpoon Technological Persistance and Variation Through Time and Geography (Turkana/Omo Basin, Kenya/Ethiopia)

Summary

A detailed study of the variation in Holocene worked bone harpoons from the Lake Turkana/Omo Basin (Northern Kenya/Southwest Ethiopia) has been conducted. Bone harpoon sites in this basin span a more than 6,000 year period (approximately 9,000 or 10,000 bp through 3,000 bp). A review of the dates associated with these archaeological assemblages (and the dating of sedimentary features correlated with the changing lake levels in the basin) is presented along with new dates 00000000and new material from recent excavations (FxJj108) and survey in Koobi Fora, Kenya.

Throughout the basin considerable spatial and temporal variation exists in features such as harpoon length, heft, barb design, and attachment styles. Post-tool production variables such as harpoon usage breakage patterns and taphonomic variation also vary from site to site. A theoretical framework of harpoon functional variation is presented to encompass environmental differences, differences in prey species, and patterns of tool use. The goal is to use the archeological record to test the hypothesis derived from these theoretical model and to identify patterns of harpoon production and usage.

How this research can connect to larger issues related to movement of peoples, and the persistence and function of bone technology will be considered.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage