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Kesem-Kebena: a Newly Discovered Paleoanthropological Research Area in Ethiopia

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Kesem-Kebena: a Newly Discovered Paleoanthropological Research Area in Ethiopia Kesem-Kebena: A Newly Discovered Paleoanthropological Research Area in Ethiopia Author(s): Giday WoldeGabriel, Tim White, Gen Suwa, Sileshi Semaw, Yonas Beyene, Berhane Asfaw, Robert Walter Source: Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Winter, 1992), pp. 471-493 Published by: Boston University Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/530428 Accessed: 19/08/2009 17:21 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. 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Boston University is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Field Archaeology. http://www.jstor.org 471 Kesem-Kebena: A Nervly Discovered PaleoanthropologxcalResearch Area in Etlliopia GidayWoldeGabriel Los AlamosNational Laboratory, Los Alamos,New Mexico TimWhite The Universityof Californiaat Berkeley,Berkeley, California GenSuwa The Universityof Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan SileshiSemaw RutgersUniversity, New Brunswick,New Jersey YonasBeyene Ministryof Cultureand SportsAffairs, Addis Ababa,Ethiopia BerhaneAsfaw Ministryof Cultureand SportsAffairs, Addis Ababa,Ethiopia RobertWalter Instituteof HumanOrigins, Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, California ThePaleoanthropoloyical Inventory of Ethiopia is a long-termproject designed to assessthe paleoanthropoloyicalresources of theEthspian rift system. Inventory work completed in 1989 hasestablished several new research areas. One of these, the Kesem-Kebena area near thenorthern terminus of theMain Ethiopian Rift, hasnow been investigated by the inven- toryteam, and several vertebrate paleontoloyical and archaeoloyicallocalities have been dis- covered.The deposits rangefi^om >3.7Ma (millionyearsof age; Pliocene) to Late Pleisto- cene.Important stratigraphic units were dated by conventional KlAr dating on basaltic lavasand 40Ar/39Aron feldspar separatesfi^oun keytephra horizons. Among the most signif - cantdiscoveriesfi^om theenctensive Kesem-Kebena sedimentary succession are Pleistocene Acheulianlithic assemblages and Acheulian fauna datingto ca. 1.0 Ma. Introduction discussthe potentialof these new areasfor elucidating The geologicalhistory of easternAfrica has provided a humantechnological and biological evolution. uniquesetting for the paleontologicaland archaeological investigationof humanorigins and evolution. Research at Historical Background Laetoliand OlduvaiGorge (Tanzania),East and West Turkana(Kenya), Omo, Hadar,Melka Kontoure, the Initial EthtopianDiscoveries:1900-1960 MiddleAwash (Ethiopia), and other areas(FIG. 1) has Thefirst vertebrate fossils reported from the Ethiopian providedunique insights into hominid evolution and gen- rift systemwere found during an expeditionled by the eratedmany new questions. These questions, in turn,have Frenchexplorer de Bozaswho visitedthe areanear the stimulatedthe searchfor additionalresearch areas from mouthof the Omo Riverin southernEthiopia in 1902 whichmore data might be recovered. (FIG. 1). Thefirst geological reconnaissance and substantial Wereport here on a seriesof geological,archaeological, paleontologicalwork in thissoutheasternmost part of the andpaleontological discoveries made by the Paleoanthro- Ethiopianrift systemwas carriedout by CamilleAram- pologicalInventory of Ethiopiain 1988-1989. We first bourg and colleaguesin the early 1930s (Howell and outlinethe historyof paleoanthropologicalresearch in Coppens1983). No hominidremains were recovered by Ethiopia,introducing the inventory project, and then pro- that effort,leaving the initialhonors to anotherFrench videthe regionaland local geological framework for our projectin the samedecade at PorcEpic cave (1929 and discoveries.Finally, we describethe new discoveriesand 1933), nearDire Dawa(FIG. 1), farto the NE (Teilhard 472 Kesem-KebenaPaleoanthropolo,gical EthiopialWoldeGabriel et al. and continueduntil 1982 (Chavaillonet al. 1979, and referencestherein). Meanwhile, in the late 1960s a joint French-American-Kenyanexpedition returned to the LowerOmo Basin.The workof this InternationalOmo Expeditionresulted in the recoveryof paleontologicaland archaeologicalresources from well-understood geological contexts(Howell 1978; Howell and Coppens 1974; Howellet al. 1987;de Heinzelin1983). The Omo project establishedstandards for multidisciplinary,large-scale pa- leoanthropologicalresearch in Africa. Chavaillon,who was then excavatingat MelkaKon- toure,encouraged a Frenchgraduate student in geology, MauriceTaieb, to proceedwith geologicalsurvey along the AwashRiver in the late 1960s.Taieb recorded a va- rietyof archaeologicaland paleontological localities in the Afardepression (Taieb 1974). He formedthe Interna- tionalAfar ResearchExpedition (I.A.R.E.) and began workat one of the areashe hadfound, Hadar ( Johanson et al. 1982 andreferences therein). One I.A.R.E.partici- pant,Jon Kalb,subsequencly dropped out of the Hadar work and formedthe Rift ValleyResearch Mission in Ethiopia(R.V.R.M.E.). Kalb's team proceeded to explore the MiddleAwash region immediately south of Hadar (Kalbet al. 1982a,1982b, 1982c, and references therein). In the early1970s, Fred Wendorf and associates inves- tigateda smallstudy area with Middle Stone Age localities in the Gademottaarea of the Lakesregion (FIG. 1), which is the centralsector of the MainEthiopian Rift (Wendorf and Schild1974). Anotherteam under the directionof Clarkundertook paleoanthropological work at Gadeb (FIG. 1), on the plateaualong the SE edgeof the Ethiopan Figure 1. A map of Ethiopiaand northernKenya showing some of rift (Clarkand Kurashina1979; Williamset al. 1979). the new paleoanthropologicalareas discovered by the Paleoanthropo- Clarkand White carried out reconnaissancestudies in the logicalInventory of Ethiopia.The Main Ethiopianand the AfarRifts MiddleAwash in 1981 (Clarket al. 1984). are stippledand darkareas represent rift valleylakes. Inset map shows By the autumnof 1982, the Omo projectwas inactive the distributionof the East Africanrift system. andwork at Gadeband Gademotta had ended. Fieldwork at MelkaKontoure persisted. Research at Hadarhad de Chardin1930; Vallois1951; Clarkand Williamson ceasedin 1977 butwas ready to resumein 1982, concur- 1984). Briefvisits to the Omowere made by LouisLeak- rentlywith work in theMiddle Awash. In thefall of 1982, ey'sassociates in 1942 (Howelland Coppens 1983). Ad- however,all foreignscientists in archaeology,paleontol- ditionalwork on a varietyof archaeologicallocalities ogy, and affiliateddisciplines were informedthat their throughoutthe Horn of Africawas accomplishedby Ethiopianpermits were no longervalid and that all field- J. DesmondClark during the SecondWorld War (Clark workwas suspended until new national policies governing 1954). researchhad been formulated and legislated. As a conse- quence,no Ethiopianantiquities-related field research was Progressox SeveralFroxts: 1960-1981 doneby foreignexpeditions between the autumnof 1982 Earlyin the 1960s,the Paleolithicarea of MelkaKon- andSeptember of 1990. tourewas discovered by hydrogeologistG. Dekkeron the Ethiopiainvests the authorityto issuepermits for field edgeofthe Ethiopianrift near Addis Ababa (FIG. 1). Here, researchwith the EthiopianMinistry of Cultureand in the headwatersof the AwashRiver, a groupled by SportsAiairs (EMC).The Centrefor Researchand Con- Frencharchaeologist Jean Chavaillon began work in 1965 servationof CulturalHeritage (CRCCH; Antiquities) is JoutnaZof Field Archaeoto,gylVot. 19,1992 473 the EMCunit responsible for managingEthiopian antiq- hominidorigins, diversification, and anatomicaland be- ultles. havioraladaptations. Fromthe Ethiopianand international perspectives, the TheDevelopmext of Ethiopiax Paleoaxthropology: traditionalapproach of exhaustinga singleresearch area 1982-1988 beforesearching for anotherarea is increasinglyinappro- priate.For manyperiods of interestto paleoanthropolo- Thehistory presented above shows a patternof mostly gists,localities are unknown or limitedin extent.Even for unsystematicreconnaissance for new paleoanthropological better-known periods, proper antiquities management and areas,followed by discoveryand intermittent or extended researchplanning are still impossiblebecause the extent exploitation.Paleoanthropological collecting areas, once of undiscoveredresearch areas remains unknown. The in- identifiedin Ethiopia,have then continued to attractpa- ventoryproject was thereforedesigned to integrateEthi- leontologists,geologists, and archaeologists. The results, opiannational interests with internationalscientific con- in the veryproductive fossil
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