Format: Paper presentations & posters with discussion
Convenors:
Rahab N. Kinyanjui, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya and Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Germany, rkinyanji@gmail.com; kinyanjui@gea.mpg.de
Emma Mbua, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya, enmbua@gmail.com
Christine A. Ogola, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya, cogola@gmail.com
Africa is a renowned region in human origin studies and the interplay between early humans and their surrounding environments over the last 300,000 years. This period is significant as it is when Homo sapiens emerged. Additionally, this period records significant ecological and cultural transitions that shaped the pathways of human development. Climatic fluctuations and vegetation shifts presented both opportunities and challenges for the human populations. The session explores the coevolution of humans and their ecosystems, highlighting how these dynamics spurred adaptability, technological innovation and resilience. Understanding these past interactions provides critical insights on how humans survived increased environmental fluctuations.
The session conveners encourage submission of abstracts on their paleo-research projects from African archaeological and paleoanthropological sites. We particularly welcome contributions from a broad collaborative spectrum with an interdisciplinary approach on the coevolution of humans and their environment in Africa.
Papers:
Proboscidean Post-cranial Morphometrics and Ecomorpholology and Their Utility in Reconstructing Past Environments – The Case of Koobi Fora Area 123 Elephas atavus Skeleton
Pauline Mbete Mbatha, Doctoral Researcher, Dept of Geosciences and Geography University of Helsinki, Finland
Professor Juha Saarinen, University of Helsinki, Finland
Academy Professor Jukka Jernvall, University of Helsinki, Finland
Dr William J. Sander, Museum of Palaeontology, University of Michigan, USA
Professor Craig Feibel, Rutgers University, USA
Adrian Lister, Natural History Museum, London, UK
Dr Samuel Muteti, National Museums of Kenya, Kenya
This study examines the postcranial morphology and morphometrics of proboscideans (true elephants of genera Elephas, Loxodonta, Mammuthus, and Palaeoloxodon), with a particular focus on the nearly complete Elephas recki atavus skeleton from Area 123 of Koobi Fora, Kenya. This skeleton, still in situ, represents a key specimen for understanding the postcranial adaptations of Early Pleistocene elephants and their ecological implications.
The skull and molar morphology of the Area 123 specimen confirm its classification as Elephas r. atavus, distinct from later Pleistocene Palaeoloxodon. Morphometric analyses indicate that the skull of E. atavus shares greater similarity with extant Elephas maximus than with Loxodonta or Palaeoloxodon, particularly in having a taller skull, elongated neurocranium, shorter face, and narrower rostrum. Forelimb proportions of the Area 123 individual closely resemble E. maximus, though it possesses a relatively longer ulna, possibly reflecting an adaptation for more efficient movement in open landscapes.
Comparisons across proboscideans reveal that taxa adapted to forested environments, such as Mammut americanum, have proportionally shorter distal limb elements, particularly in the manus, whereas species adapted for traversing open landscapes, like Loxodonta africana, exhibit elongated manus. Notably, Deinotherium proavumpossesses an exceptionally long manus, potentially facilitating efficient locomotion in open savannas or enhancing canopy-level browsing.
The findings from Area 123 contribute to broader research on proboscidean postcranial adaptations and their role in reconstructing past environments. This study underscores the utility of limb morphometrics in distinguishing locomotory strategies and ecological adaptations among extinct proboscideans.
Environmental Variability and Innovative Behaviours at Panga ya Saidi, Kenya: Implications for Out of Africa Dispersals
Michael Petraglia, Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Australia
Rahab Kinyanjui, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
Nicole Boivin, Max Planck Institute for Geoarchaeology, Jena, Germany
Emmanuel Ndiema, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
Ceri Shipton, University College, London, UK
Panga ya Saidi is one of the most important archaeological sites to emerge in recent years in Eastern Africa. A series of landmark discoveries have been made about its unique tropical forest environmental setting and changes in human behaviours over the last 80,000 years. Here we summarise key findings from Panga ya Saidi in relation to other sites in Eastern Africa. We explore some of the key innovations and behaviours found at Panga ya Saidi, and situate this relative to conditions that may have helped human populations to cope with environmental variability and to expand out of Africa.
Patterns of Middle-late Pleistocene Hominin Evolution in Africa
Emma N. Mbua, Dept of Earth Sciences, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi
There is now a broader consensus that modern humans originated in Africa. This proposition is supported by fossil and genetic evidence. However, this evolution’s mode and place are unclear, given that fossils with modern morphologies are documented in eastern, southern, and northwest African regions.
A re-examination of a group of both metric and non-metric characters relevant in documenting evolutionary changes on 23 Middle and late Pleistocene hominin crania suggests; a) the origin of modern Homo sapiensmorphology is a product of a continuous re-modelling of significant aspects of the skull, from ancestral conditions seen in early Middle Pleistocene groups to modern morphology; b) the increasing mosaic-like emergence and accumulation of derived and near modern morphology over a long period, does not provide convincing evidence for any cladogenetic event; c) Results further suggest that eastern Africa might have been at the forefront in anatomical modernisation process. Additional fossil discoveries of this age bracket would elucidate further the mode and place of anatomical modernisation in the African continent.
Investigating Early Human Cultural and Environmental Adaptations: Insights from Mfangano Island
Dr Julian A. Ogondo-Ogondo, Maseno University, Kenya
This study presents a sedimentological and paleoanthropological analysis of an archaeological site on Mfangano Island, dated to approximately 40,000 years before present (BP). A key discovery at this site was a human skull exhibiting intentional dental modification, a practice that parallels similar modifications observed in a skull recovered from the Turkana Basin, dated to approximately 10,000 BP. This comparison provides a critical framework for evaluating the continuity of traditional customs and symbolic traditions across extensive temporal and geographic spans. Situated within a broader interdisciplinary examination of Homo sapiens’ evolutionary history, this research highlights the intricate interplay between biological adaptations, cultural expressions, and environmental transformations over the last 300,000 years.
Early Hominins’ Adaptation to Highland Environments of the East African Rift Valley
Christine Adhiambo Ogola, Earth Science Department, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
Veronica Waweru, MacMillan Center for Area and International Studies, Yale University, USA
Rahab N Kinyanjui, Dept of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for Geo-anthropology, Jena, Germany
Christine Atieno Omuombo, Dept of Geoscience and the Environment, The Technical University of Kenya, Kenya
The Yiapan archaeological site in Mau Narok, Kenya, represents one of the few high-altitude Mid-Pleistocene sites in East Africa. Survey and excavations reveal a stratified sequence of stone tool assemblages, ranging from Late Acheulean/Early Middle Stone Age (EMSA) to the Neolithic period. The lowest layers contain large Acheulean cutting tools, while later layers exhibit smaller, hafted tools, including non-local obsidian, signifying behavioural and technological advancements. Geological analysis suggests the site was once near a large water body, supporting long-term human occupation. Archaeological finds indicate multiple periods of habitation spanning the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene. These findings provide new insights into early hominin adaptation to highland environments, challenging previous assumptions that early human settlements were predominantly in lowland Rift Valley basins.
Preliminary Analysis of Phytoliths and their Relationship to Vegetation Changes in Central Tanzania
Husna Mashaka, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, USA
Rahab N. Kinyanjui, Earth Sciences Dept, National Museum of Kenya; Archaeology Dept, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany
Kathryn Ranhorn, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, USA
Samantha Porter, Liberal Arts Technologies and Innovation Services, University of Minnesota, USA
Ilaria Patania, Dept of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, USA“The Kondoa Deep History Partnership
Archaeological rock shelters in eastern Africa provide insights into the environments humans inhabited during the later Quaternary. At the Kisese II Rockshelter in Tanzania, paleoenvironmental data remains insufficiently understood, particularly regarding paleo vegetation. This project employs phytolith analysis to investigate vegetation distribution. Phytoliths act as durable proxies, revealing the proportions of various vegetation types and clarifying how climate influenced historical cover. Samples from colluvial clayey sands (CCS, 8.25±0.52 to 6.90±0.61 years) and silty sands with micritic calcite (SSMC, ~16,600 to 26,100 years) indicate trends in grass families. CCS samples, dating to the Early Holocene, show transitions from moist to arid conditions with C4 Panicoideae and Chloridoideae grasses. SSMC samples from the Late Pleistocene reveal the dominance of C4 Chloridoideae and Panicoideae grasses, except around 18Ka when C3 Pooidea grasses prevailed, suggesting cooler, dryer conditions. Additional samples from beneath a fallen slab (Unit 99-105). demonstrate abundant C4 grasses likely from the Early Holocene. Microcharcoal and burnt phytoliths indicate a history of varying fire activity. Overall, findings suggest environmental shifts from moist to arid conditions at the site significantly influence vegetative composition and human adaptation.