Late Pleistocene Behaviors: Perspectives from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia

Summary

Behavioral contexts across the critical period associated with the evolution and successful dispersal(s) of anatomically modern humans (AMH) within and beyond Africa are inadequately understood. Although the genetic and fossil evidence in hand largely advocates eastern Africa as the most likely source and dispersal route of AMH, the sparseness of archaeological evidence relevant to this period limits behavioral inferences from the region. As a result, evidence for behaviors considered “modern” derives predominantly from South African occurrences, making an exhaustive study of the behavioral contexts of AMH in eastern Africa long overdue. Here, we present results of work to date on Late Pleistocene occurrences in the Middle Awash study area of Ethiopia, including analyses of lithic assemblages from Aduma and Halibee that have been found in association with rich faunal remains and AMH. The spatial and chronostratigraphic positioning of these and other MSA occurrences provide a unique opportunity to examine technological and behavioral trends during the period 50-100 ka. The results have implications for hypotheses about Late Pleistocene AMH dispersal(s) and their relationships to cultural, physical, and biological factors in this crucial part of Africa.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Parting the Red Sea: Late Pleistocene Lithic Variability and Human Dispersals in the Horn of Africa and Arabia

Keywords

Spatial Coverage