title: Across the Gap: Geochronological and Sedimentological Analyses from the Late Pleistocene-Holocene Sequence of Goda Buticha, Southeastern Ethiopia.
abstract: Goda Buticha is a cave site near Dire Dawa in southeastern Ethiopia that contains an archaeological sequence sampling the late Pleistocene and Holocene of the region. The sedimentary sequence displays complex cultural, chronological and sedimentological histories that seem incongruent with one another. A first set of radiocarbon ages suggested a long sedimentological gap from the end of Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 3 to the mid-Holocene. Macroscopic observations suggest that the main sedimentological change does not coincide with the chronostratigraphic hiatus. The cultural sequence shows technological continuity with a late persistence of artifacts that are usually attributed to the Middle Stone Age into the younger parts of the stratigraphic sequence, yet become increasingly associated with lithic artifacts typically related to the Later Stone Age. While not a unique case, this combination of features is unusual in the Horn of Africa. In order to evaluate the possible implications of these observations, sedimentological analyses combined with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) were conducted. The OSL data now extend the radiocarbon chronology up to 63 ± 7 ka; they also confirm the existence of the chronological gap between 24.8 ± 2.6 ka and 7.5 ± 0.3 ka. The sedimentological analyses suggest that the origin and mode of deposition were largely similar throughout the whole sequence, although the anthropic and faunal activities increased in the younger levels. Regional climatic records are used to support the sedimentological observations and interpretations. We discuss the implications of the sedimentological and dating analyses for understanding cultural processes in the region.
authors.affiliation: IRAMAT-CRP2A, UMR 5060, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0506-2430
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tribolo
authors.affiliation: School of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Asfawossen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asrat
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire « Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique », UMR 7194, CNRS, Département de Préhistoire du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Bahain
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire « Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique », UMR 7194, CNRS, Département de Préhistoire du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chapon
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, UMR 8212, CEA-CNRS, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Douville
authors.affiliation: IRAMAT-CRP2A, UMR 5060, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France.
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fragnol
authors.affiliation: IRAMAT-CRP2A, UMR 5060, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.affiliation: Institute of Archaeology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.|Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Phoenix, United States of America.
authors.forename: Erella
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hovers
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire « Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique », UMR 7194, CNRS, Département de Préhistoire du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.|McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leplongeon
authors.affiliation: IRAMAT-CRP2A, UMR 5060, CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France.
authors.forename: Loïc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire « Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique », UMR 7194, CNRS, Département de Préhistoire du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pleurdeau
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, United States of America.
authors.forename: Osbjorn
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire « Histoire naturelle de l'Homme préhistorique », UMR 7194, CNRS, Département de Préhistoire du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Puaud
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Archaeobiology Program & Human Origins Program, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., United States of America.
authors.forename: Zelalem
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Assefa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001106:Archaeology; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D059552:Caves; D005002:Ethiopia; D005580:Fossils / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000266:history; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D049449:Luminescence; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D055110:Radiometric Dating / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes