Earliest Archaeological Evidence of Persistent Hominin Carnivory

Abstract

The emergence of lithic technology by ∼2.6 million years ago (Ma) is often interpreted as a correlate of increasingly recurrent hominin acquisition and consumption of animal remains. Associated faunal evidence, however, is poorly preserved prior to ∼1.8 Ma, limiting our understanding of early archaeological (Oldowan) hominin carnivory. Here, we detail three large well-preserved zooarchaeological assemblages from Kanjera South, Kenya. The assemblages date to ∼2.0 Ma, pre-dating all previously published archaeofaunas of appreciable size. At Kanjera, there is clear evidence that Oldowan hominins acquired and processed numerous, relatively complete, small ungulate carcasses. Moreover, they had at least occasional access to the fleshed remains of larger, wildebeest-sized animals. The overall record of hominin activities is consistent through the stratified sequence – spanning hundreds to thousands of years – and provides the earliest archaeological evidence of sustained hominin involvement with fleshed animal remains (i.e., persistent carnivory), a foraging adaptation central to many models of hominin evolution.

Investigating interrelationships between Lower Palaeolithic stone tool effectiveness and tool user biometric variation: implications for technological and evolutionary changes

“…Notably, Lower Palaeolithic cutting tasks are likely to have been variable, with a range of plant and animal materials potentially being required to be cut and deformed through stone tool use (e.g., Keeley and Toth, 1981;Domínguez-Rodrigo et al, 2001;Braun et al, 2010;Ferraro et al, 2013;Solodenko et al, 2015;Plummer and Bishop, 2016). Presented here is evidence to suggest that across such variation, task efficiency would have been significantly affected by individual biometric variability.…”

“…Moreover, cut-marked faunal remains not only suggest that Oldowan hominins were butchering large mammals, but that they were at times gaining early access to these resources (Domínguez-Rodrigo, 1997;Domínguez-Rodrigo et al, 2005;Ferraro et al, 2013). Hence, Oldowan hominins were, on occasion, required to cut through tough hide, fibrous connective tissue and substantial portions of flesh.…”

In Rift Valley settings with a feedback loop, assortative mating for versatility predicts hominin brain enlargement in some detail

“…Nor are such large herbivore techniques a model for the development of carnivory in hominins; in Africa, the evidence is that they started small (Ferraro et al 2013), perhaps using long poles to club animals hiding in the grass as even some African children do today.…”

Thank your intelligent mother for your big brain

“…Processing (or predigesting) foods with stone tools (11), increasing acquisition of fat-and protein-rich animals in the diet (12), and cooking (13) may have been the most beneficial to the lives of the youngest, most dependent, and most vulnerable members of hominin societies, while being the most beneficial to their parents' and related caregivers' fitness. It is commonly assumed that these technological and ecological behavioral shifts arose in conjunction with enhanced cognitive ability.…”