A significant archaeological investigation in Africa has illuminated the existence of individuals residing there a hundred millennia ago.
A multitude of lithic implements, vertebrate remnants, and sedimentary materials point towards episodic utilization by Homo sapiens within a verdant biome. This locale served as a resource-abundant haven within the wild expanse of what is now Ethiopia’s Afar Rift, predating the widespread dispersal of modern humans into Eurasia.
However, their sojourns may not have been entirely devoid of danger. Three fragmentary human skeletal remains, having withstood the ravages of epochs, delineate three distinct outcomes: comparatively swift interment, incineration, and predation by wild fauna.
“During recurrent, transient occupations of this fertile terrain, hominids coexisted with a diverse array of animal species,” observes a research collective spearheaded by archaeologist Yonas Beyene, affiliated with the French Center for Ethiopian Studies in Ethiopia, in their scholarly communication.
“The acquisition of locally accessible raw materials,” the research group elaborates, “facilitated the fabrication of both delicate and robust tools during periods of occupation whose frequency and duration remain undetermined.”
“The output of this manufacturing process – and at times, the remnants of the visiting hominids – became integrated into overbank silts situated on an aggrading floodplain, distantly removed from the principal river channel. These materials are now periodically exposed by the gradual erosive forces of wind and water at Faro Daba.”
The Halibee archaeological site, an integral component of the Middle Awash study region within Ethiopia’s Afar Rift, is renowned for its exceptional wealth of findings.
For an extended period, Beyene and his associates have meticulously conducted excavations at this locale, unearthing compelling evidence of repeated human utilization. This discovery is particularly noteworthy due to its open-air nature, contrasting with the subterranean and protected settings typical of many ancient hominid sites.
Their most recent endeavors concentrated on sedimentary strata dating back approximately one centamillennium, or 100,000 years, ago.
Beyond the sheer quantity of artifacts and its open-air provenance, the method of preservation at Halibee contributes significantly to its scientific value. In cavernous environments, sedimentation typically accrues gradually over extensive periods of continuous habitation, yielding invaluable historical records but often obscuring the specifics of individual activities and their temporal sequence. In contrast, Halibee’s past as a floodplain resulted in more intermittent occupation. Hominids would visit and depart, their discarded items rapidly encased by sediments deposited during fluvial inundations, thereby preserving clearer chronological snapshots of discrete visits. This fertile environment also served as a magnet for a wide spectrum of fauna.
A considerable number of the lithic implements and faunal remains unearthed at the site were discovered in close proximity to their original points of deposition. This fortunate circumstance has afforded Beyene and his colleagues an exceptionally rare perspective on the ways early hominids interacted with their surrounding environment.
The lithic tools discovered here indicate that the inhabitants of the area manufactured both finer cutting implements and more substantial tools from locally sourced rock. Between 65% and 82% of all lithic artifacts recovered from each excavation phase were composed of basalt, a locally abundant material. Evidence suggesting on-site tool production was also observed.
A mere 2% of the artifacts were fashioned from obsidian, a volcanic glass not indigenous to the region, implying interregional exchange or mobility.
Concurrently, a broad array of faunal skeletal remains was excavated, encompassing those of primates, antelopes, galliform birds, reptiles, rodents, and even formidable predators, such as a felid comparable in size to contemporary lions. Notably, no evidence of butchery marks was identified on any of the faunal bones.
Furthermore, the skeletal remains of three individuals were exhumed, and it is here that the narrative takes a particularly intriguing turn. These three sets of remains present distinct possibilities regarding post-mortem fates.
The first individual, likely male, presented a skeleton in remarkably preserved condition, considering the vast temporal interval. The state of his osseous structure suggests that his body was interred while the skeleton remained intact, articulated, and enveloped by soft tissue, indicative of a relatively rapid burial post-mortem.
There is no extant evidence to support the hypothesis of a deliberate funerary ritual preceding this burial. It is plausible that natural processes, such as rapid seasonal flooding, contributed to the swift covering of the remains. Future discoveries, the researchers posit, may shed further light on these circumstances.
The second individual is represented solely by a molar tooth and minor bone fragments exhibiting signs of charring. As with the interred individual, it remains indeterminate whether this thermal alteration resulted from hominid activity or a naturally occurring wildfire.
Finally, the third individual’s remains offer a stark glimpse into the harsh realities of existence on the Stone Age savannah. The osseous elements, as detailed by the researchers, exhibit “extensive evidence of perimortem carnivore-induced damage, characterized by ancient pitting, tooth marks, and fractures. Articular surfaces are absent.”
These injuries, the researchers assert, are “perimortem,” signifying that they occurred around the time of death. Nevertheless, similar to the other two individuals, the precise circumstances remain elusive. It is currently impossible to ascertain whether the injuries inflicted by carnivores were a direct cause of mortality or the result of scavenging activities shortly after death.
Collectively, these findings serve to resurrect a landscape once shared by hominids and fauna. The remnants of their lives and demises constitute an invaluable archive that, according to Beyene and his colleagues, will form a foundational element of the region’s archaeological understanding.
“The surface and subsurface resources embedded within Ethiopia’s Halibee member possess enduring significance for generations to come,” the researchers state in their publication.
Further investigations at the Halibee site are anticipated by the research team to contextualize the discoveries already made. The researchers predict that this will “mirror how the Middle Pleistocene evidence situated directly beneath the Halibee member will contribute to comprehending the evolutionary trajectories of behaviors, anatomies, and environments characteristic of Middle Awash inhabitants across vast spans of time.”
These groundbreaking findings have been disseminated via the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
