Landscape Survey of Potential Combustion Features at FxJj20 Site Complex in Koobi Fora, Kenya

Summary

Previous research in the Koobi Fora Formation, Marsabit District, Kenya identified nine delineated areas where the sediment was lithified and rubefied. These features derived from the excavation of the archaeological site of FxJj20-Main in the Lower Okote Member, which dates between 1.5 and 1.64 Ma. Previously, similar features in archaeological sites have been recovered with material that exhibit evidence of having been exposed to high temperatures. These features are discrete, isolated, circular, and noticeably different from surrounding tuffaceous silt. The goal of the current study was to complete a survey of the broader area around the FxJj20 site complex, known as Area 131 in the Koobi Fora Formation, to determine the frequency and distribution of reddened patches. Using spatial mapping techniques, including GIS and aerial photography, the distribution of these features were mapped on an ancient landscape. Twenty-five total potential combustion features were identified and associated artifacts and fossils were recovered at twelve of these. The spatial distribution of the potential features indicated possible environmental influences on location and clustering of the features. The frequency of these features distinguishes this area from other parts of the ancient landscape. IRES grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation supported this research.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16547