Excavating the origins of human adaptation: new fieldwork campaign at Oldupai Gorge, Tanzania

An international team led by researchers from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the University of Calgary and the University of Dodoma, with the participation of IPHES-CERCA and other Tanzanian, European and Canadian institutions, has carried out a new excavation and research campaign at Oldupai Gorge, Tanzania, during the month of August.

Funded by an INSIGHT Grant and the Palarq Foundation, the campaign combines the opening and expansion of archaeological excavation areas in the western and eastern parts of the gorge with the study of materials recovered during previous field seasons. The aim is to expand the record of the earliest human occupations in the area and to understand how the first representatives of the genus Homo adapted to an environment undergoing major ecological and climatic transformations.

Oldupai Gorge, in northern Tanzania, is one of the key locations for studying human origins. Its archaeological and palaeoenvironmental sequence preserves more than two million years of history and provides an exceptional opportunity to examine the relationship between early human populations, their technologies and landscapes shaped by changes in vegetation, periods of aridity and intense volcanic activity.

How early humans adapted to a changing world

Approximately two million years ago, our ancestors inhabited changing landscapes characterised by variable resources and environmental conditions that were difficult to predict. Studying how they responded to these challenges allows researchers to reconstruct their strategies for adapting to highly diverse ecosystems.

“Oldupai allows us to study human adaptation in a context of considerable environmental variability. The possibility of combining the archaeological record with high-resolution palaeoenvironmental indicators is key to understanding how early populations responded to changes in landscapes and resource availability,” explains Dr María Soto (UAM-MIAS).

At Ewass Oldupa (Bed I, between 2.0 and 1.8 million years ago), the archaeological record contains evidence of different hominins, some of the earliest stone-tool technologies, and a landscape undergoing major environmental changes, including shifts between wooded and open areas, episodes of drought and volcanic activity.

One of the main objectives of the campaign is to expand the excavation of the archaeological horizon associated with the earliest occupations by Homo habilis and the OH 65 find. The work seeks to document stone-tool production activities, faunal processing and the ecological context in which these occupations took place.

In the eastern sector of the gorge, the team is also working at the Emugur Eshumata site (Bed I), where remains of Homo habilis have also been identified. Studying both areas will make it possible to compare occupations associated with this species in different parts of Olduvai Gorge.

Excavation and technological analysis

The third line of research focuses on the analysis of lithic materials from Emurutoto (Bed IV), excavated during previous field seasons. Integrating the excavations at Ewass Oldupa and Emugur Eshumata with the technological study of Emurutoto will provide new evidence on mobility, territoriality, resource use and technological variability among the earliest representatives of our genus.

“This year’s campaign will allow us to gain a broader understanding of how early Homo moved across the landscape, exploited available resources and developed different technological solutions,” says Dr Julio Mercader of the University of Calgary and associate researcher at IPHES-CERCA.

The campaign also includes new samples of phytoliths, pollen, microcharcoal and other high-resolution indicators. These analyses will enable researchers to reconstruct in greater detail the vegetation and environmental conditions associated with the earliest human occupations documented in these areas of the gorge.

Training and local collaboration

The project is led by Dr María Soto (UAM-MIAS), Dr Julio Mercader (University of Calgary), associate researcher at IPHES-CERCA, Dr Abel Shikoni (University of Dodoma), Dr. Aloyce Mwambwiga (National Natural History Museum, Arusha) and Ms. Abdallah Mohammed (University of Dodoma). The team also includes Dr Juan Ignacio Morales, a Ramón y Cajal researcher at IPHES-CERCA.

Alongside its scientific objectives, the campaign seeks to strengthen local capacities through practical training for students from the University of Dodoma and the participation of staff from the National Museum of Natural History and members of the Maasai community in excavation, analysis and collection management activities.

The campaign brings together researchers from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the University of Calgary, IPHES-CERCA, Sapienza Università di Roma, CENIEH, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, CISPAC, the University of Dodoma and the National Museum of Natural History. The fieldwork also involves the Maasai community and the collaboration of other European, Tanzanian and Canadian institutions.

The research has been made possible through funding from an INSIGHT Grant and the Palarq Foundation, which support the fieldwork and the different lines of research carried out within the framework of the project.