Chronology of the Acheulean to Middle Stone Age transition in eastern Africa.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 29545510.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/science.aao2216.
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Abstract
The origin of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) marks the transition from a highly persistent mode of stone toolmaking, the Acheulean, to a period of increasing technological innovation and cultural indicators associated with the evolution of <i>Homo sapiens</i> We used argon-40/argon-39 and uranium-series dating to calibrate the chronology of Acheulean and early MSA artifact-rich sedimentary deposits in the Olorgesailie basin, southern Kenya rift. We determined the age of late Acheulean tool assemblages from 615,000 to 499,000 years ago, after which a large technological and faunal transition occurred, with a definitive MSA lacking Acheulean elements beginning most likely by ~320,000 years ago, but at least by 305,000 years ago. These results establish the oldest repository of MSA artifacts in eastern Africa.
Medical subject headings
- Human Activities
- Industrial Development