title: 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.
authors: Department of Anthropology and Institute of Archaeology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA. joseph_ferraro@baylor.edu
authors: Joseph V
authors: JV
authors: Ferraro
authors: Thomas W
authors: TW
authors: Plummer
authors: Briana L
authors: BL
authors: Pobiner
authors: James S
authors: JS
authors: Oliver
authors: Laura C
authors: LC
authors: Bishop
authors: David R
authors: DR
authors: Braun
authors: Peter W
authors: PW
authors: Ditchfield
authors: John W
authors: JW
authors: Seaman
authors: Katie M
authors: KM
authors: Binetti
authors: John W
authors: JW
authors: Seaman
authors: Fritz
authors: F
authors: Hertel
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Potts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001106:Archaeology; D001842:Bone and Bones; D060435:Carnivory; D015186:Hominidae; D013499:Surface Properties
references: Nature. 2011 Nov 09;480(7375):91-3
references: 22080949
references: J Hum Evol. 2008 Dec;55(6):1086-95
references: 18809203
references: PLoS One. 2012;7(4):e32452
references: 22536316
references: J Hum Evol. 2008 Dec;55(6):1031-52
references: 18842286
references: J Hum Evol. 2006 Feb;50(2):170-94
references: 16413934
references: PLoS One. 2009 Oct 21;4(9):e7199
references: 19844568
references: J Nutr. 2003 Nov;133(11 Suppl 2):3886S-3892S
references: 14672286
references: J Hum Evol. 2005 Feb;48(2):109-21
references: 15701526
references: World Rev Nutr Diet. 2001;90:144-61
references: 11545040
references: J Hum Evol. 2002 Dec;43(6):773-85
references: 12473483
references: Annu Rev Nutr. 2007;27:311-27
references: 17439362
references: J Hum Evol. 1999 Feb;36(2):151-70
references: 10068064
references: J Hum Evol. 2002 Dec;43(6):831-72
references: 12473486
references: Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2010 Jun;21(4):453-61
references: 19914386
references: Curr Anthropol. 1999 Dec;40(5):567-594
references: 10539941
references: Am J Hum Biol. 1992;4(2):179-195
references: 28524347
references: J Hum Evol. 2009 Sep;57(3):260-83
references: 19632702
references: J Hum Evol. 2000 Jan;38(1):197-233
references: 10627403
references: J Hum Evol. 2009 Mar;56(3):247-56
references: 19211130
references: Am J Phys Anthropol. 2004;Suppl 39:118-64
references: 15605391
references: Science. 1999 Apr 23;284(5414):625-9
references: 10213682
references: Nature. 2010 Aug 12;466(7308):857-60
references: 20703305
references: J Hum Evol. 2006 Feb;50(2):142-62
references: 16263152
references: J Hum Evol. 1999 May;36(5):461-85
references: 10222165
references: J Hum Evol. 2012 Aug;63(2):395-407
references: 22192864
references: J Hum Evol. 1997 Nov;33(5):555-97
references: 9403079
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Dec 7;107(49):20929-34
references: 21078985
references: Am J Hum Biol. 2002 Sep-Oct;14(5):551-65
references: 12203811
references: J Hum Evol. 2008 Jul;55(1):103-30
references: 18514259
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Jun 1;107(22):10002-7
references: 20534571