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3. Compiled by
Tadele Solomon
Degsew Zerihun;
Blade Engda;
Fantahun Zelelew;
Seminew Asrat;
Bisrat G/Egziabher;
Misganaw G/Michael
June, 2016
A Catalogue on
Ethiopian Archaeological and
Paleontological Sites
Volume I - Afar

4. Table of Content
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….
1.1. Historical Overview of Archaeological and Paleontological
Research in Ethiopia………………………………………………………………………………
1.2. Afar National Regional State………………………………………………………………..
2. Research Sites in Afar Regional State…………………………………………………….
2.1. Dikika Research Project…………………………………………………………………………
2.2. Galilli Paleoanthropological Research Project………………………………………..
2.3. Gona Paleoanthropological Research project (GPRP)……………………………..
2.4. Gulina Archeological and Paleontological research Project…………………….
2.5. Hadar Research Project Ethiopia……………………………………………………………
2.6. Kesem Kebena Dulecha Rescue and Exploration Project……………………….
2.7. Ledi Geraru Research Project………………………………………………………………..
2.8. Middle Awash Research Project……………………………………………………………
2.9. Mille-Logya Research Project (MLRP)…………………………………………………..
2.10.Red Beds Exploration Survey Project…………………………………………………..
2.11.Salvaging the Landscape and Memories of the Salt Trade of
the Afar Depression…………………………………………………………………………….
2.12.Survey and Exploration of the Hinte Megeyta Area……………………………
2.13.Volcanological and Archaeological Program for Obsidian Research
(VAPOR)-Afar…………………………………………………………………………………….
2.14.Woranso-Mille Research Project……………………………………………………….
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Background of the Afar National Regional State.............................1
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5. 1
i
Preface
Ethiopia is home to diverse archaeological and paleontological heritage resources.
These made the country attract numerous researchers in these fields of studies. The
painstaking effort of scientists working in Ethiopia has brought tremendous
knowledge to the understanding of the prehistory of our planet. Despite such a
considerable progress over the last half a century, a compiled and well organized
catalogue of these research areas and their project details is not so far achieved.
This is due to the fact that the history of individual research sites and their
publications were not systematically organized and archived apart from some field
reports submitted to ARCCH by the projects. Lack of comprehensive document and
bibliographic information made things difficult for researchers from all parts of the
world who plan to conduct archaeological and paleontological research in Ethiopia.
In 2012, the Idea of compiling a catalogue about the archaeological and
paleontological research areas were initiated by the then archeology experts Mr.
Habtamu Tesfaye and Mr. Abebe Mingistu by the consultation with Mr. Desalegn
Abebaw the former Director of the Cultural Heritage Research Directorate in ARCCH.
They took the initial stage of collecting primary information used in this catalogue.
Compiling a single volume that include all the research projects so far carried out and
still under study in Ethiopia is not manageable in our time and financial capacity.
Hence, splitting the catalogues in to manageable volumes is preferred. This Volume-I,
accordingly, offers a glimpse of the Archaeology, paleoanthropology and
paleontology research history of the Afar administrative region. More volumes will
follow in the coming years covering similar research areas in other regions in the
country.
This volume tried to touch upon topics such as historical background of the projects,
brief description of each research areas, localities bearing discoveries, principal
investigators associated with each research projects, lists of publications, and the
current statues and future prospects of the project.
We believe that this book will be useful to students and scholars currently working in
Ethiopia and to those expecting to work in Ethiopia in the future. To this end, it is our
hope that the next volume will be published annually, and will include the rest of
archaeological and paleontological research sites that have not been assessed in this
volume.

6. ii
Acknowledgment
The archaeology and paleontology team of the Cultural Heritage Research
directorate would like to extend its appreciation to ARCCH for allocating the budget
necessary for the publication of this volume. Archaeologists Abebe Mengistu,
Habtamu Tesfaye as well as the former director of the Cultural Heritage Research
Directorate Ato Desalegn Abebaw deserve to be acknowledged for taking the initial
work of this volume two years ago. We would like to extend our heartfelt
appreciations and respects to all the scientists of respective projects who have
contributed to the write-ups of this publication. We also extend our respect and
acknowledgment to Mr Demerew Dagne, acting director of the Cultural Heritage
Research Directorate for the support and encouragement he has provided to us.
Finally, we would like to thank Mr. Sahleselassie Melaku and Mr. Fikremariam Sisay
for their support in editing some of the project write-ups.
*All the Photographs in this publication are the courtesy of and copy right (c) of
respective projects.

7. 1
1
1. Introduction
1.1 Historical Overview of Archaeological and
Paleontological Research in Ethiopia
Archaeological investigation particularly historical archaeology in Ethiopia has a long
history. Over centuries, many travelers, explorers, adventurers and missionaries
came to Ethiopia from ancient times to the 19
th
century and provided various
descriptions about historical sites of Ethiopia. From these earlier arrivals, the
Byzantine diplomats, missionaries and merchants visited Aksum and reported that
Aksum was used as a capital and a trade Centre in the sixth century (Munro-Hay
1989:27).
The primary archaeological knowledge had begun in Ethiopia with the accounts of
early Greeks. The most important being the inscription of Adulis copied by Cosmos, a
Greek visitor who compiled and preserved the contents of the inscription in his
Christian topography in the sixth century AD. European Merchants, explores,
travelers, missionaries inspired by the commerce of the Red Sea, through which
European international trade passed, as well as the search for the kingdom of the
legendary Prester John and opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 (Asamrew, 2007-
2008).
In the 16
th
, 17
th
, and 18th centuries, travelers and missionaries, especially Alvarez
(1520), Poncent (1700) and Bruce (1770) found their way into Ethiopia and visited
the town of Aksum and reported about the ancient monuments at Aksum (Fattovich
et al. 2000: 29). Next to Alvarez, Pedro Paez, who came to Ethiopia in 1603, wrote a
book entitled a History of Ethiopia. In his book he mentioned the thrones, the stelae
and the church of Aksum. He also included the drawing of the ‘Tomb of Kaleb‘. After
Paez, Manoel de Almeida in 1622 mentioned some of the stelae of Aksum as he
noted about twenty still standing and around seven were broken ones. His
companion, Emmanuel Barrados had also left some documents of the monuments of
Aksum and the ‘Tomb of Kaleb and Gabra Masqal‘. James Bruce, Scottish explorer,
reached in the country in 1769 and wrote a book entitled ‘Travels to Discover the
Source of the Nile’. In his book he mentioned the obelisks of Aksum (Munro-Hay
1991:25-26).

8. 2
Though Archaeological investigation in northern Ethiopia began in the 6
th
century,
planned excavation did not take place in Ethiopia until 1868 when some amateurish
soldiers of the British military expedition opened some trenches at Adulis. At the
beginning of the 20th century, archaeological work at Aksum was followed by the
Italian archaeologist Paribeni (1906). Swede Sundstorm who conducted an
excavation at Adulis in the same time uncovered impressive ruined structures, with a
number of coins and other objects (Paribeni 1907 and sandstorm 1907 in Munro-Hay
1991:28). A comprehensive survey and proper archaeological investigation in
Ethiopia at Aksum was conducted by the Deutsch Aksum-Expedition (DAE). This
expedition, which was led by Enno Littmann in 1906, played a great role in Ethiopian
archaeology. The German team conducted an archaeological survey in the whole
Aksum region. They conducted excavation and identified old structures. DAE further
mapped the most impressive monuments in the town and noted some artifacts and
inscriptions.
Next to DAE, archaeological survey and excavation had been done subsequently by
the Italians in the late 1930s, by Franco- Ethiopian teams in the 1950s and 1960s, by
Americans, and British Institute of East Africa (BIEA) teams (Munro-Hay 1989; 1991).
Particularly, the Ethiopian Institute of Archaeology which was founded in 1952
recovered and documented sites in the central Aksum from 1954 to 1956 (Munro-
Hay 1989:28).
In the last three decades, paleontological surveys and exploration of previously
unknown areas in Ethiopia have resulted in the discovery of a number of hominid
and other fossils from the Pleistocene, Pliocene, and late Miocene
(Yohannis et al, 2007:216).
The first multidisciplinary research activity comprising professionals from France,
America and Kenya was conducted in prehistoric archaeological investigation in Omo
Valley, Ethiopia in 1967 by an international Research Expedition. A year later, the
Kenyan team launched investigations in the Koobi-fora of northern Kenya under the
leadership of R. Leaky. The French and Americans scientists under the supervision of
Y. Coppens and C. Howell resume their investigation in the Omo area (Getachew,
2010:16-17).
In the early 1970s, a team of geologists and paleontologists formed the International
Afar Research Expedition (IARE) to conduct paleontological surveys and
exploration in the Afar rift. IARE surveyed a vast area in the central and eastern Afar
areas and located numerous paleontological study areas, including Hadar, Middle

9. 3
3
Awash, Woransso-Mille and Gona (Yohannis et al, 2007:216). So far tremendous
amount of findings that have changed the knowledge and understanding of the
prehistory of our own race was discovered and still is under discovery in the Afar
triangle. Details of the sites in the Afar region is the purpose of this volume.
1.2. Background of the Afar National Regional State
Afar National Regional State is located in the Northeastern part of the country. It is
about 581 km from Addis Ababa to Semera-the regulatory seat of the region. This
region is composed of five administrative Zones, twenty-eight Woredas and twenty-
eight towns.
The Afar Depression, a plate tectonic triple junction is found in the Afar Regional
State. The geological history of the region extends back to the Proterozoic eon of
Precambrian era. The geologic feature of the region has one of earth’s great active
volcanic areas. Generally, the region is dominated by igneous rock and structure
associated with stretching and rupture of continental crust. Due to this volcanic
activity the floor of the depression is composed of lava, mostly basalt. The
continuous process of volcanism resulted in the occurrence of major minerals
including potash, sulfur, salt, bentonite, and gypsum. In addition to these minerals,
there are also promising geothermal energy sources and hot springs in different
areas of the region. The two large tectonic plates of Africa are drifting apart. This
rifting produced the East African Rift Valley, with the Afar triangle at its northern
end. This gigantic valley acted as a trap for sediments transported down from the
highlands by rivers for millions of years. Besides the sediments, these rivers also
transported the carcasses of many animals, as well as remains of plants. These fossils
were buried, and serve as a unique archive of the last few million years. Using the
fossils, as well as other sources such as stable isotopes of the soils we can reconstruct
the climate and environment of this time period in detail.
In terms of climate the region is characterized by arid and semi-arid climate with low
and scarce amount of rainfall. The altitude of the region ranges from 116 meter
below sea level (where one of the highest temperatures (50
0
C) on earth has been
recorded) to 1600 meters above sea level. The lowland areas of Afar are generally
below 1600 meters above sea level. The highest peak, mount Mussa-Alle is just 2063

10. 4
meters above sea level. The temperature of Afar varies from 25
0
C during the rainy
season (September-March) to 48
0
C during the dry season (March-September).
Figure 1: Map of Afar Area
The region has a number of perennial rivers that include Awash, Mille, Kesem
Kebena, Awura, Gulina, Dewie, Borkena, Telalak, and numerous seasonal rivers that
flows to different basins. Furthermore, the area also has a number of lakes, such as
Lake Asale, Lake Afdera, Lake Abe, and Lake Gemeria. The Awash River, Mille and
Logia which are tributaries of the Awash River traverse the region.
Today, the Afar triangle is one of the most barren landscapes on our planet. Its
northern part, the Danakil is a desert dominated by volcanism and salt deposits.The
northern part of the region around the lower Danakil plain is predominantly a semi-
desert with thorny species of shrubs and acacia. Further in the south in the Awash
valley, steppe vegetation is dominant. Both ecological stages are facing bush
encroachment with Prosopis julifora tree. Besides a number of important
Archaeological and Paleontological sites, the Awash National Park, Yangudi-Rasa
Natural Reserve and the Dallol Depression are expressions of Ethiopia’s desert

11. 5
5
beauty. Some of the attractions of this game reserve include Abyssinian wild ass,
Grevy’s zebra, beisa oryx, crocodiles, lions, grater kudu, wild (bat eared) fox, wildcat,
cheetah, Grant’s gazelle, and warthog.
2. Research Sites in Afar National Regional State
2.1 Dikika Research Project
Description of the site: TheDikika Research area is located south of the Awash River,
in Mille Wereda of the Afar regional state, northeastern Ethiopia.
Dikika is part of the Hadar Formation, where Plio-Pleistocene sedimentary deposits
have exposed.
Project Principal Investigator (DRP);The Dikika research project was initiated by
Ethiopian Paleoanthropologist Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged of the California Academy of
science.The Core Members of the project are: Dr. Denis Geraads (Centre National de
la Recherche Scientifique, France), Dr. Jonathan Wynn (University of South Florida,
Tampa), Dr. Denné Reed (University of Texas, Austin), Dr. René Bobe (The George
Washington University, Washington, DC), Dr. Shannon McPherron (Max Planck
nstitute, Leipzig).

12. 6
Figure 1: Location of the Dikika research site in the Afar region of Ethiopia
Background of the Project:
The Dikika Research Project (DRP) was initiated in 1999 to explore regions adjacent to
the Hadar site, at Dikika on both sides of the Awash River. The DRP conducted
geological, paleontological and archaeological investigations to document the
paleontological and archeological record of the region and to reconstruct the
paleoenvironmental context for early hominin evolution. At Dikika, sediments
represent the time interval between three and four million years ago and have
yielded early hominin fossils particularly those of Australopithecus afarensis.
Moreover, the Dikika research project documents the faunal and floral content of the
site in order to understand how landscapes and climate have changed over millions
of years, and how those changes affected the morphology, behavior and evolution of
our ancestors. Dr. Zeresenay and his team are particularly interested in determining
how many hominin species were present between 0.5 and 4 million years ago, and
how those species lived and interacted with the with other species and the
environment in general. Data collected by the DRP are made available to the
wider paleoanthropological community using recently developed data collecting

13. 7
7
techniques that are pioneered by this research group in order to bolster international
collaborative research.
Objectives of the Project:
The Dikika Research Project (DRP) is a multidisciplinary research project that seeks to
address key evolutionary and paleobiological issues pertaining to early human
ancestors as well as their culture and environments over the past ca. 4.0 million
years. At the very core of the project's objectives is the recovery of hominin, fauna,
flora fossil evidence along with geological data, in order to establish the
paleoenvironmental and geotectonic setting of the region. The DRP also strive to link
the observed paleobiological transformations related to morphology, locomotion,
behavior and other attributes to the region's environmental and geotectonic
dynamics.

14. 8
Figure 2: View of Some of the localities
Localities: Here, we only present some of the major localities in Dikika research
project, where researchers focused because of their great significance.
DIK-1 is a locality located on the hillside of a thick layer containing sands and silts.
Here, the research team found a partial skeleton of an immature hominin also know
as Selam or the Dikika Child. DIK-2 is a locality where fossil lower jaw fragments of a
hominin were found. The stratigraphy level of DIK-55 locality is situated just above
the Sidi Hakoma Tuff, dated to 3.4 million years ago. This locality yielded two stone
tool modified bones in the Andedo drainage of the Dikika Research Project. These
two fossil specimens collectively showed “twelve marks interpreted to be
characteristic of stone tool butchery damage. Most closely resemble a combination
of purposeful cutting and percussion marks. These finds indicate a stone tool use
behavior in A. afarensis well prior to 2.5 Ma. The DRP has plans to undertake
additional investigation and new survey methodologies in order to determine the
frequency of this behavior.
Major Discoveries:

15. 9
9
The most important and popular finding in Dikika site is the discovery of the 3.3
million-year-old fossil of an Australopithecus afarensis baby girl "Selam.
Thisdiscoverywas the most complete skeleton of a human ancestor ever found, and
one that continues to shed new light on human origins.
Figure 3: Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged with a discovery
In 2009, Zeresenay Alemseged's team found fossilized bones in Selam's vicinity that
showed marks of tool use a finding that pushed the date of human tool use and meat
consumption back by almost a million years. And in 2012, an analysis
of Selam's shoulder blades revealed that our ancestors abandoned tree-climbing
much later than manyresearchers had previously thought.
Major Discoveries:

16. 10
Figure 4: The famous Selam cranium (photo: kenneth Garrett)
DRPs’ discoveries also come up with remarkable paleontological data. Among the
most striking was the discovery of a new species of a carnivore: Enhydriodon dikikae
a gigantic otter that dates back to approximately 4 million years ago. Described from
part of a skull and lower jaw, Enhydriodon dikikae weighing an estimated 220
pounds and featuring a nearly foot-long skull was far more imposing than the cuddly
looking otters familiar to us today. The specifics of its diet are still unknown, but a
battery of robust teeth suggests possibilities that include shellfish, catfish, turtles,
ostrich eggs, and juvenile crocodiles. In the younger levels of the DRP sites, at an area

17. 11
11
called Asbole, stone tools that were assigned to the Acheulean technology and MSA
were observed.
Figure 5: A view of Dikika team members 2016
Current Status and Future Prospects: The DRP has made valuable contributions to
the field of paleoanthropology, yet currently the DRP has suspended its activities for
security reasons caused by sporadic conflicts occurring between the locals who
currently occupy the area. Dr. Zeresenay Alemseged is now exploring new sites
around the Mille Logya area while in parallel to find a political solution to the
situation at Dikika.
Lists of Publications
Alemseged, Z. and R. Bobe (2009) Diet in early hominin species: a
paleoenvironmental perspective. In: J.-J. Hublin and M.P.
Richards (eds.), The Evolution of Hominin Diets: Integrating Approaches to the
Study of Palaeolithic Subsistence. Springer: Dordrecht, 181-188.
Alemseged, Z., Spoor, F., Kimbel, W.H., Bobe, R., Geraads, D., Reed, D., Wynn, J.G.
(2006). A juvenile early hominin skeleton from Dikika,
Ethiopia. Nature 443:296 - 301.

18. 12
Alemseged, Z., Wynn, J.G., Kimbel, W.H., Reed, D., Geraads, D., Bobe, R., 2005. A
new hominin from the Basal Member of the Hadar Formation, Dikika,
Ethiopia, and its geological context. Journal of Human Evolution, 49, 499-514.
Behrensmeyer, K., Bobe, R. and Z. Alemseged (2007) Approaches to the analysis of
faunal change during the East African Pliocene. In: R. Bobe, Z. Alemseged and A.K.
Behrensmeyer (eds.), Hominin Environments in the East African Pliocene:
An Assessment of the Faunal Evidence. Springer: Dordrecht, 1-24.
Behrensmeyer, K., Alemseged, Z. and R. Bobe (2007) Finale and future:
Investigating faunal evidence for hominin paleoecology in East Africa. In: R.
Bobe, Z. Alemseged and A.K. Behrensmeyer (eds.), Hominin Environments
in the East African Pliocene: An Assessment of the Faunal Evidence.
Springer: Dordrecht, 333-345.
Bobe, R., Alemseged, Z. and A.K. Behrensmeyer, eds. (2007). Hominin
Environments in the East African Pliocene: An Assessment of the Faunal
Evidence. Springer: Dordrecht, 354 pp.
Wynn, J.G., Alemseged, Z., Bobe, R., Geraads, D., Reed, D., Roman, D.C. (2006).
Geological and paleontological context of a Pliocene juvenile hominin at Dikika,
Ethiopia. Nature443:332-336.

19. 13
13
2.2 Galili Research Project
Description of the Site:
The Galili paleoanthropological research project is located in the Mount Galili area 17
km South East of Gedameytu town. It is located in Gewane Woreda, Zone three of
the afar regional state. It also lies in the eastern shoulder of the northern Main
Ethiopian Rift as a transition and broadens in to the southern Afar Depression. The
entire region, around Galili has been undergoing extension since the Miocene
creating fault-bounded basins which are then filled by volcanic and sedimentary
rocks. Further, it is subdivided into the Dhidinley, Godiary, Shabeley Laag, Dhagax,
and Caashacado members in ascending stratigraphic order. The paleoenvironmental
data from the presence of waterbucks and other antelope fossils adapted to open
but wet environmentsindicate the presence of edaphic grasslands along the area
during the earliest deposition. Somewhat later deposits (the Dhidinley Member) are
characterized by alluvial and lacustrine deposits.
Figure 1: Map of the study area

20. 14
Principal Investigators: Since the year 2000 GC the Site was given to Austrian led
international Paleoanthropological research team under the leadership of Prof.
Horest Seidler from the department of Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences,
University of Vienna. After the older project phased out, currently new research
team comprised of Scott Simpson, an anthropologist and team leader from the
department of Anatomy, Case Western Reserve University -Cleveland, OH USA and
Jay Quade, a geologist from East Cost Arizona University.
Figure2: Research team working in one of the sites
Background to the Project: In 1998-99 the site was first identified and
Paleoanthropological Research was conducted by Yohannes Hailesilassie while he
was pursuing his PhD study. By then he has discovered an isolated tooth which was
classified as Anamnesis. Later by the year 2000 GC the Site is given to Austrian led
international Paleoanthropological research team. The project after several years of

21. 15
15
excavation was interrupted due to several internal and external reasons.
Accordingly,new research team led of Scott Simpson started the research in 2015.
Discoveries: In the course of its research the project discovered the following
findings:
Hominids: Several remains of hominids recovered since 2000. The time
period between 4.5 and 3.5 million years is crucial for understanding human
evolution, as the emergence of the genus Australopithecus takes place
during this time. The discoveries of the site include six teeth and proximal
femoral shafts. Most of these fossils (GLL 33, GLL 555, GLL 610, GLL 1250)
came from the Shabeley Laag member with two from the Dhidinley Member
(GLL 747, GLL 888 femur) and one from the Lasdannan Member (GLL 1200).
Morphologically, the dental remains show many similarities with A.
afarensis and A. anamnesis.
Figure3: Some of the findings of the project
Cercopithecoids: Galili has also yieldwell preserved Cercopithecoidea
remains from the pre 3.5-million-year time period in Africa. An almost
complete and a partial cranium, as well as many maxillary, mandibular and
dental remains from this site gave us a unique insight into the evolution of
monkeys. At least five different species of cercopithecoids were identified
from the Galili deposits.

22. 16
Figure 4: Cercopithecoids
Marodi(The millennium elephant): In the course of the 2005 field season,
W. Hujer, one of the project's geologists discovered two tusks eroding out of
a small gully just above the 4.1-Million-year-old Dhidinley ignimbrite. In
February 2007 O. Sandrock, the elephant specialist of the project studied
the fossil and was named after “Marodi “(elephant in the local Issa
language).
Figure 2: Marodi (The millennium elephant):

23. 17
17
List of publications
Kullmer O (2005) Expeditionen in Afar Dreieck – Fossiliensuche unter äthiopischer
Sonne. Natur and Museum, 135 (3/4), 58-67.
Macchiarelli R, Bondioli L, Falk D, Faupl P, Illerhaus B, Kullmer O, Richter W, Said H,
Sandrock O, Schafer K, Urbanek C, Viola BT, Weber GW, and Seidler H (2004) Early
pliocene hominid tooth from Galili, Somali Region, Ethiopia. Coll Antropol 28 Suppl
2:65-76.
Stadlmayr A, Viola TB, Sandrock O, Kullmer O, Weber GW, Schaefer K, Hujer W,
Seidler H (2007) The “Primate Site A” - A new Pliocene fossil-bearing Site in the
Southern Afar Triangle, Ethiopia. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. Suppl. 44:165
Urbanek C, Faupl P, Richter W, Seidler H (2003): Petrological and geochemical data of
volcanic rocks from the southern Afar Depression, Ethiopia. Geophysical Research
Abstracts, Vol. 5, 10392, EGS-AGU-EUG Joint Assembly 2003, Nice. abstract poster
(.pdf)
Urbanek C, Ntaflos T, Richter W, Faupl P, Seidler H (2004): REE and isotopic data of
volcanic rocks from the Galila excavation area, southern Afar Depression, Ethiopia.
Abstract Volume of the 32nd International Geological Congress 2004, Florence,
Italy. Urbanek C, Kullmer O, Sandrock O, Faupl P, Nagel D, Viola TB, Seidler H
(2004): Preliminary faunal evidence of the Galili sediments, Somali Region, Ethiopia.
Abstract Volume of the 32nd International Geological Congress 2004, Florence, Italy.
Urbanek C, Faupl P, Hujer W, Ntaflos T, Richter W, Weber G, Schaefer K, Viola B,
Gunz P, Neubauer S, Stadlmayr A, Kullmer O, Sandrock O, Nagel D, Conroy G, Falk D,
Woldearegay K, Said H, Assefa G, Seidler H (2005) Geology, Paleontology and
Paleoantropology of the Mount Galili Formation in the southern Afar Depression,
Ethiopia – Preliminary results. Joannea Geologie und Paläontologie 6: 29-43.

24. 18
Viola TB, Urbanek C, Schäfer K, Weber GW, Kullmer O, Sandrock O, Faupl P,Seidler H
(2003) . The Galila GIS: Experiences with the use of GIS in paleoanthropological
surveys. Enter the Past: Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in
Archaeology, BAR International Series 1227 (on the CD-ROM). Oxford: Archaeopress.
Viola TB, Urbanek C, Schaefer K, Weber GW, Kullmer O, Sandrock O, Said H, and
Seidler H (2004) GIS and Palaeoanthropological Surveys - Experiences. Am J Phys
Anthropol Suppl 38:201.
Weber GW, Seidler H, Woldearagay K, Macchiarelli R, Bondioli L, Illerhaus B, Kullmer
O (2004) 3rd Lower Molar, Australopithecus, c.f. A. afarensis, GLL33 – Digital@rchive
of fossil hominoids.
In review:
Kullmer O, Sandrock O, Viola TB, Hujer W, Said H, Seidler H (in review) Biochronology
and paleoecology of the Pliocene Galili hominid site. Palaios.
In preparation:
Seidler H, Viola TB, Weber GW, Kullmer O, Schäfer K, Sandrock O, Stadlmayr A, Nagel
D, Hujer W, Urbanek C, Said H (in preparation) Early Pliocene hominids from Galili

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2.3. Gona Paleoanthropological Research Project
Description of the Site: The Gona Paleoanthropological Research Project study area
is located in the western central Afar region of Ethiopia, and it encompasses about
500km
2
area with fossil and artifact-rich deposits. The Gona deposits are exposed
south and west of the Hadar permit area, east of the Western Escarpment, south of
the Bati-Mile road and north of the Asbole/Talalak Rivers. The Gona study area lies
within the sedimentary exposures of the Awash River basin. The deposits here are
being dissected by the main rivers and their tributaries, which are currently exposing
ancient sediments that encase a rich record of artifacts and fossil fauna.
A large multidisciplinary team of scientists in archaeology, paleontology and geology
began fieldwork in 1999, and investigations over the past seventeen years have
demonstrated that Gona contains fossiliferous and hominin-bearing deposits
spanning from the Late Miocene up to the Upper Pleistocene (6.3 Ma - ~50,000
years), and a continuous record of stone artifacts between 2.6 Ma-~50,000 years
ago. Thus, Gona is among the most significant Paleoanthropological study areas for
fully investigating the physical and behavioral evolution of ancestral humans for the
past six million years. Major hominin and archaeological discoveries from Gona have
contributed enormously to our understanding of the biology of the earliest hominins
and the beginnings of stone tool culture, as well as the paleoenvironmental
background for ancestral human evolution.
Principal Investigators: The Gona Paleoanthropological Research Project (Gona
Project, for short) consists of an international multidisciplinary team of scientists
coordinated by Dr. Sileshi Semaw, from the Center for Human Evolutionary Studies
(CENIEH) in Spain, and Professor Michael Rogers, Southern Connecticut State
University, USA. The Gona Project involves well-qualified and experienced
international scientists from Ethiopia, Spain, USA, France, Australia and a number of
other countries. Thus far, more than 35 international scientists in archaeology,
paleontology and geology have participated in the fieldwork, museum analyses and
publication of the discoveries made from the study area.
Background of the Project: The Paleoanthropological potential of Gona was first
noticed in the late 1960’s by Maurice Taieb during his geological survey of the Awash
River basin. The initial archaeological survey of the early 1970’s east of the Kada
Gona River by archaeologists G. Corvinus and H. Roche led to the discovery of surface
exposed stone artifacts estimated to 2.5 Ma. The first in-situ artifacts were found

26. 20
from a test excavation carried out in 1976 at West Gona, though it was only later in
the 1990s with investigations carried out by Dr. Semaw and colleagues that the age
of the Gona stone artifacts was proven by radioisotopic dating methods to 2.6 Ma,
and the stone assemblages were described in great detail, with major implications on
the beginnings of ancestral hominin stone tool culture.
Dr. Sileshi Semaw (while a graduate student) and his colleagues began
reconnaissance survey east and west of Kada Gona in the year 1987, and two new
archaeological localities were documented at West Gona. Subsequently, extensive
and systematic archaeological and geological survey, and excavations were
undertaken by Dr. Semaw and colleagues in 1992 - 1994, and more than ten
Oldowan localities were documented east and west of the Kada Gona River. In 1992,
EG10 and EG12, two major archaeological localities at East Gona, were excavated,
yielding over three thousand surface and in situ stone artifacts. The two localities
were securely-dated to 2.6 Ma by a combination of
40
Ar/
39
Ar and paleomagnetic
dating methods, and the stone artifacts represent the earliest Oldowan, the first
confirmed stone technology, showing sophisticated skills of ancestral human stone
toolmaking. In 1997, the results were published in the science journal Nature, with
official announcements made internationally, showing that Ethiopia is indeed the
cultural cradle of humankind.
After the announcement publication of the earliest Oldowan stone tools in 1997, the
project became well-known with international recognition. The following year, a
large multidisciplinary team of scientists was organized under the project, and in
1999 Dr. Semaw and colleagues began extensive fieldwork documenting more than
500 Mio-Pleistocene localities with fossil fauna, hominins and Pleistocene stone
artifacts.
Objectives of the Project:
The main objective of the Gona research initially was conducting extensive
systematic survey in order to document sites that could shed light on the biological
and behavioral evolution of ancestral humans, with particular emphasis laid on the
emergence and development of stone tool culture in the ancient human past, a topic
of critical importance for our understanding of human behavioral evolution.
Subsequent extensive surveys carried out since 1999 showed that Gona contains
fossiliferous deposits spanning the last ~6.0 million years, and currently the project
goals include understanding the emergence and evolution of the Hominidae, the

27. 21
21
beginnings of stone tool use, evolution of early Homo and Homo erectus, the
appearance of modern humans (Homo sapiens), and associated stone technologies.
Additionally, the project aims to investigate the timing and nature of the Oldowan-
Acheulian transition by assessing whether the transition was gradual or rapid, and
determine to what extent the transition corresponds to paleoenvironmental
changes. In 1999, systematic survey and excavations continued in the Kada Gona,
Dana Aoule and Busidima North areas for investigating the earliest stages of
ancestral hominin stone technology, documenting a large number of archaeological,
paleontological and hominin localities. Our investigations over the past 10 years in
the fossiliferous and artifact-rich deposits in the Busidima, Gawis and Ya'alu
drainages, has resulted in the discovery of dozens of Early and Late Acheulian as well
as Middle Stone Age sites, some of which were directly/stratigraphically associated
with important hominin discoveries, that are currently being analyzed for
publications.
Map 1: The Gona Palaeoanthropological Study Area
Localities:
Over the past three decades, more than 500 paleontological and archaeological
localities have been named and documented, and a large number of these localities
have been investigated in great detail, with the archaeological and hominin

28. 22
discoveries published in prominent peer-reviewed science journals (including Science
and Nature), and some of the materials already published in edited books.
Figure 1: Panoramic view of East Gona
Figure 2: Survey of the Ounda Gona South area, Dr. Rogers and Dr. Semaw at OGS-7

29. 23
23
The Mio-Pliocene paleontological/hominin localities are found in the foothills of the
Western Escarpment (ESC) where fossilized remains of Ardipithecus kadabba, dated
to ~6.0 Ma were found; and the Gona Western Margin (GWM), where a large
number of fossil remains of Ardipithecus ramidus dated to ~4.5 Ma were discovered.
The Pleistocene archaeological, paleontological and hominin localities are found in
the eastern and southern parts of Gona, and from east to west include the East Gona
(EG), the West Gona (WG), Ounda Gona North (OGN), Ounda Gona South (OGS),
Dana Aoule North (DAN), Dana Aoule South (DAS), Busidima North (BSN), Gawis
North (GWN), Gawis South (GWS), Ya’alu North (YAN), Ya’alu South (YAS), Asbole
North (ABN) and Odele South (ODS) localities. Much of the exposures to the east
feature Oldowan and early Acheulian localities, whereas the deposits located in the
south/southwestern part of Gona are younger and consist of Late Acheulian and
Middle Stone Age localities.
Major Discoveries:
The Gona Project, as a large multidisciplinary project, has conducted continuous
fieldwork since 1999, and research results have been extremely successful. The
major results include the discovery of the earliest association of stone artifacts and
fossil fauna bearing evidence of stone tool cutmarks at OGS6 and OGS7, in the Ounda
Gona South. The OGS7 locality was discovered by Dr. M. Rogers (CO-PI of the
Project), and excavated in 2000 and 2010.
The site is also remarkable for showing raw material selectivity of the tool-making
hominins and surprisingly sophisticated skills in manipulating stones. The OGS6 site
yielded freshly eroded fossil bones with evidence of stone tool cutmarks, clearly
showing that the earliest Oldowan artifacts were made and used for processing
animal carcasses for meat and marrow.

30. 24
Figure 3:The OGS7 archaeological site. The prominent tuff above the site is dated by
40Ar/39Ar to 2.53 Ma, and the Gauss-Matuyama boundary was identified just below
the excavation
Figure 4: Excavation of the OGS7 site showing the in situ stone artifacts
dated to 2.6 Ma

31. 25
25
Figure 5: The OGS7 excavated stone artifacts dated to 2.6 Ma
Figure 6: A fossil bone with evidence of stone tool cut marks recovered from OGS6,
dated to 2.6 Ma

32. 26
Further, a number of Early Achulian sites estimated to ~1.7-1.5 Ma have been
excavated in the OGS and BSN areas. Currently, we are investigating the Oldowan-
Achulian transition, and research is ongoing on the archaeology, fauna and
geochronology of more than a dozen localities, five of which were excavated in 2012-
2016.
Figure 7: Early Acheulian stone artifacts estimated to 1.7-1.5 Ma
In 1999-2001, fossils from at least nine hominin individuals belonging to
Ardipithecus ramidus (4.5-4.3 Ma) were discovered in the Gona Western Margin, and
published in 2005 in Nature. Further west in the foothills of the Western Escarpment,
the team has discovered several hominin localities with fossil remains of Ardipithecus
kaddaba (published in the Journal of Human Evolution in 2015). Both Ardipithecus
kaddaba and Ardipithecus ramidus were first identified and named from the Middle
Awash Study Area, located south of Gona.

33. 27
27
Figure 8: A mandible of Ardipithecus ramidus from the Gona Western Margin, 4.5-4.3 Ma
In addition, Gona has documented a female Homo erectus pelvis discovered in the
Busidima North area (published in 2008 in Science). This locality is stratigraphically
associated with Acheulian artifacts.
Figure 9: The first female Homo erectus pelvis, dated to ~1.2 Ma
A large number of fossil hominins discovered from Gona over the past decade are
being analyzed at the National Museum of Ethiopia for announcement publications.

34. 28
The fossil hominins were found from localities that represent key time intervals in
human evolution. Two of the major discoveries come from localities dated within the
last half million years, critical for understanding the emergence of Homo sapiens, our
own species. In the younger deposits, we have excavated a site documenting later
Acheulian stone artifacts and associated well-preserved fossil fauna. The Gawis
cranium discovered in 2006 in the Ya’alu North (YAN1) is stratigraphically associated
with this Late Acheulian archaeological site, and both are estimated to ~400,000-
300,000 years. Dr. Semaw gave a briefing at the National Museum of Ethiopia to the
media about the discovery of the Gawis cranium after the 2006 field season at Gona.
The cranium is currently being analyzed for announcement publication. Further
survey in the much younger deposits exposed in the Ya’alu South yielded Middle
Stone Age stone artifacts, which we are currently analyzing at the National Museum
of Ethiopia.
Figure 10: A hominin cranium discovered in the Ya'alu North (the Gawis Cranium), estimated to 400,000-
300,000 years ago
Current Status and Future Prospects: The Gona Project is undertaking continuous
archaeological and paleontological field investigations. The results of our
investigations have proven that Gona contains fossiliferous deposits spanning the
last ~6.0 million years, and is among a small handful of projects in the world that are
key for investigating the origin of the Hominidae and issues surrounding the

35. 29
29
emergence of bipedalism, as well as the paleoenvironments for this critical
watershed in hominin biological evolution. Further, the Gona localities preserve
stone artifacts from various time periods from 2.6 Ma to about 50,000 years ago,
which makes Gona among the most important sites in the world for investigating the
behavioral evolution of our ancestors. Our continued investigations at Gona will be
critical for understanding the biological and behavioral evolution of our ancestors for
the past 6.0 million years, and field and laboratory investigations are ongoing.
Project Contact Address
Dr. Sileshi Semaw, Senior Research Scientist:Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre
la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Sierra de Atapuerca 3, 09002 Burgos, Spain.
E-mail : sileshi.semaw@cenieh.es
Professor Michael J. Rogers, Department of Anthropology, 501 Crescent Street,
Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT 06515-1355 USA.
E-mail: rogersm1@southernct.edu
Bibliography
In press,SileshiSemaw, Michael J. Rogers, Isabel Caceres, Dietrich Stout and Amanda
Leiss. The Early Acheulian ~1.6-1.5 Ma from Gona, Ethiopia: Issues on the
emergence of the Acheulian in Africa. Papers on the "Emergence of the
Acheulean." M. Mussi and R. Gallotti (Eds.). In honor of the 50
th
Anniversary
of the discovery of Melka Kunture (1963-2013). VERT Series, Springer.
Submitted , Caceres, I., Semaw, S., Rogers, M., and Leiss, A. Hominin exploitation of
animal resources in the Gona Plio-Pleistocene sites (Afar, Ethiopia). M.
Sahnouni, Semaw, S. and A. Perez-Gonzalez (Eds.), II Meeting of African
Prehistory, 15-16 April, 2015, Burgos, Spain.
In submission,SileshiSemaw, Michael J. Roges, Isabel Caceres, and Amanda Leiss. The
Oldowan-Acheulian transition, case study at the Gona Early Pleistocene
sites, Afar, Ethiopia. Paper presented at the II Meeting of African Prehistory,
15-16 April, 2015, Burgos, Spain.
In submission, Naomi Levin, Scott Simpson, Michael Rogers, Sileshi Semaw.
Paleoenvironmental changes during the last 6 million years at Gona, Afar
Region, Ethiopia.Sally C. Reynolds and René Bobe (Eds.), African
Paleoecology and Human Evolution, Cambridge University Press.

36. 30
In prep., Semaw, S., Simpson, S.W., Rogers, M.J., Levin, N., Quade, J., Dunbar, N., and
McIntosh, W. Early Homo erectus crania and associated stone artefacts from
Gona, Afar, Ethiopia. To be submitted to Science.
In prep., Simpson, S.W., Levin, N.E., Quade, J., Rogers, M.J. &Semaw, S. TheEarly
Pliocene Tetraconodont Suid Notochoerus jaegeri sagantolensis (subsp.
nov.) from the Gona Project Research Area, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia. To
be submitted to the Journal of Mammalogy.
2015 Simpson, S.W., Kleinsasser, L., Quade, J., Levin N.E., McIntosh, W.C., Dunbar,
N., Semaw, S. and M.J. Rogers. Late Miocene hominin teeth from the Gona
Paleoanthropological Research Project area, Afar, Ethiopia. Journal of
Human Evolution, 81: 68-82.
2014 Simpson, S.W., Quade, J., Levin, N.E. and Semaw, S. The female
Homoerectus pelvis from Gona: Response to Ruff (2010). Journal of Human
Evolution, 68:32-35.
2013 Bernor, R., Gilbert, H., Semprebon, G., Simpson, S., and Semaw, S.
Eurygnathohippus woldegarieli, sp. nov. (Perissodactyla, Mammalia), from
the middle Pliocene of Aramis, Ethiopia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology,
33:1472-1485.
2013 Sahnouni, M., Semaw, S., and Rogers, M.J. The African Acheulean: an
archaeological summary. In P. Mitchell and P. Lane (eds.) The Oxford
Handbook of Afican Archaeology, pp. 307-323. Oxford University Press.
2013 Semaw, S., Rogers, M.J. and Stout, D. In Proceedings of the International
Symposium, Africa, cradle of humanity: Recent discoveries. The Gona
Paleoanthropological Research Project (Afar, Ethiopia): Major discoveries
and contributions to Early Palaeolithic studies in Africa. Pp. 105-130. Setif,
Algeria.
2010 Semaw, S. Gona Palaeoanthropological Research Project, Final grant report.
Anthroquest. The Newsletter of the Leakey Foundation, Winter/Spring 2010.
2010 Stout, D., Semaw, S., Rogers, M.J., and Cauche, D. Technological Variation in
the earliest Oldowan from Gona, Ethiopia. Journal of Human Evolution,
58:474-491.

37. 31
31
2009 Semaw, S., Rogers, M. and Stout, D. Insights into Late Pliocene Lithic
Assemblage Variability: The East Gona and Ounda Gona South Oldowan
Archaeology (2.6 Million Years Ago), Afar, Ethiopia. In The Cutting Edge: New
Approaches to the Archaeology of Human Origins. N. Toth and K. Schick
(Eds.), CRAFT Press, Bloomington, pp. 213-246.
2009 Semaw, S., M.J. Rogers and Stout, D. The Oldowan-Acheulian Transition: Is
there a ‘Developed Oldowan’? In Sourcebook of Paleolithic Transitions. P.
Chauhan and M. Camps (Eds.), Springer Press, pp. 173-193.
2009 Rogers, M.J. and Semaw, S. 2009. From Nothing to Something: The
Appearance and Context of the Earliest Archaeological Record. In
Sourcebook of Paleolithic Transitions. P. Chauhan and M. Camps (Eds.).
Springer Press, pp.155-171.
2008Quade, J., Levin, N., Simpson, S.W., Butler, R., McIntosh, W., Semaw, S.,
Kleinsasser, L., Dupont-Nivet, G., Renne, P. and Dunbar, N. The Geology of
Gona, Ethiopia. TheGeological Society of America Bulletin, Special Paper
446:1-31.
2008Kleinsasser, L., Quade, J., Levin, N., Simpson, N., McIntosh, W.C. and Semaw, S.
Geochronology of the Adu-Asa Formation, Gona, Ethiopia. TheGeological
Society of America Bulletin, Special Volume 446:33-65.
2008 Simpson, S.W., Quade, J., Levin, N., Butler, R., Dupont-Nivet, G., Everett, M. and
Semaw, S.. A complete female Homo erectus pelvis from Gona, Ethiopia.
Science 322:1089-1092.
2007 Semaw, S. The Gona Palaeoanthropological Research Project, Afar, Ethiopia.
Anthroquest. The Newsletter of the Leakey Foundation, Summer 2007.
2006 Semaw, S. The oldest stone artifacts from Gona (2.6-2.5 Ma), Afar, Ethiopia:
Implications for understanding the earliest stages of stone knapping. InThe
Origins of Human Technology: Studies into the Early Stone Age (Oldowan). N.
Toth and K. Schick (Eds.), CRAFT Press, Bloomington, IN.
2006 Semaw, S. The World’soldest stone artifacts from Gona, Ethiopia: Their
implications
for understanding stone technology and patterns of human evolution
between 2.6-2.5 million years ago. In Human Evolution Source Book. R.L.

38. 32
Ciochon and J.G. Fleagle (Ed.), pp 256-271. Reprinted by permission from
the Journal of Archaeological Science (2000).
2006 Stout, D. and Semaw, S. Knapping skills of the earliest stone-tool makers:
Insights from the study of modern human novices. In The Origins of Human
Technology: Studies into the Early Stone Age (Oldowan). N. Toth and K.
Schick, (Ed.), CRAFT Press, Bloomington, IN.
2006 Toth, N., Schick, K. and Semaw, S. A technological comparison of the stone
tool-making capabilities of Australopithecus/early Homo, Pan paniscus, and
Homo sapiens, and possible evolutionary implications. In The Origins of
Human Technology: Studies into the Early Stone Age (Oldowan). N. Toth and
K. Schick (Eds.), CRAFT Press, Bloomington, IN.
2005 Semaw S. 2005. Les plus anciens artefacts lithiques (2,6-2,5 millions d'années)
des sites archéologiques du Pliocène Final de EG-10 et EG-12 à Gona Est,
Afar, Ethiopie. In (Sahnouni, Ed.) Le Paléolithique en Afrique: L'histoire la
plus longue. Artcome/Errance, Paris.
2005 Semaw, S., Simpson, S.W., Quade, J., Renne, P.R., Butler, R.F., McIntosh, W.
C., Levin, N., Dominguez-Rodrigo, M. and Rogers, M.J. Early Pliocene
Hominids from Gona, Ethiopia. Nature, 433:301-305.
2005 Domínguez-Rodrigo, M., Pickering, T.R., Semaw, S. and Rogers, M. Cutmarked
bones from archaeological sites at Gona, Afar, Etiopía: Implications for the
function of the world’s oldest sotne tools. Journal of Human Evolution,
48:109-121.
2005 Stout, D., Quade, J., Semaw, S. and Rogers, M. Raw material selectivity of the
earliest tool makers at Gona, Afar, Ethiopia. Journal of Human Evolution,
48:365-380.
2004 Levin, N.E., Quade, J., Simpson, S.W., Semaw, S. and Rogers, M. Isotopic
evidence for
Plio-Pleistocene environmental change at Gona, Ethiopia. Earth and
Planetary Science Letters, 219:93-100.
2004 Quade, J., Levin, N., Semaw, S., Stout, D., Renne, P., Rogers, M. and Simpson,
S.W.
Paleoenvironments of the Earliest Stone Toolmakers, Gona, Ethiopia.
Geological Society of America Bulletin 116:1529-1544.

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33
2003 Semaw, S., Rogers, M.J., Quade, J., Renne, P.R., Butler, R.F., Stout, D.,
Dominguez-Rodrigo, Hart, W., Pickering, T. and Simpson, S.W. 2.6-Million-
year-old stone tools and associated bones from OGS-6 and OGS-7, Gona,
Afar, Ethiopia. Journal of Human Evolution, 45:169-177.
2000 Semaw, S. The World’soldest stone artifacts from Gona, Ethiopia: Their
implications for understanding stone technology and patterns of human
evolution between 2.6-2.5 million years ago. Journal of Archaeological
Science, 27:1197-1214.
1997 Semaw, S., Renne, P., Harris, J.W.K., Feibel, C., Bernor, R., Fesseha, N. and
Mowbray, K. 2. 5 million-year-old Stone tools from Gona, Ethiopia. Nature,
385:333-338.
1993 Asfaw, B., Beyene, Y., Semaw, S., Suwa, G., White, T., and WoldeGabriel, G.
Tephra from Fejej, Ethiopia. A reply. Journal of Human Evolution, 25:519-
521.
1992 Wolde-Gabriel, G., White, T., Suwa, G., Semaw, S., Beyene, Y., Asfaw, B. and
Walter, R. Kesem Kebena: a newly discovered palaeoanthropological
research area in Ethiopia.Journal of Field Archaeology, 19:371-391.
1991 Asfaw, B, Beyene, Y., Semaw, S., Suwa, G., White, T. and WoldeGabriel, G.
Fejej: a new paleoanthropological research area in Ethiopia. Journal of
Human Evolution, 21:137-143.
1989 Harris, J.W.K. and Semaw, S. Further archaeological studies at the Gona River,
Hadar, Ethiopia. Nyame Akuma, 31:19-21.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS BY PROJECT MEMBERS (INCLUDING INVITED SCIENTISTS,
OTHERS AND COMMENTARIES)
2010 Ruff, C. Body size and body shape in early hominins – implications of the
Gona pelvis. Journal of Human Evolution, 58:166-178.
2008 Levin, N., Simpson, S., Quade, J., Cerling, T. and Frost, S. Herbivore enamel
carbon isotopic composition and the environmental context of Ardipithecus
at Gona, Ethiopia. TheGeological Society of America Bulletin, Special Paper
446:215-234.

40. 34
2009 Lo´pez-Sa´ez, J.A, Dominguez-Rodrigo, M. Palynology of OGS-6a and OGS-7,
two new 2.6 Ma archaeological sites from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia: insights on
aspects of Late Pliocene habitats and the beginnings of stone tool use.
Geobios 42: 503–511.
2005 Hanson, B. Early Toolmakers. Science, 307:18.
1997 Wood, B.A. The oldest whodunit in the world. Nature, 385:392-393.
PUBLISHED ABSTRACTS
2015 Sileshi Semaw, Michael J. Rogers, Isabel Caceres, Dietrich Stout and Amanda
Leiss. Early Acheulian: the archaeological evidence from Gona, Ethiopia.
“Acheulean and Acheulean-like adaptations in relation to Early-and-Middle
Pleistocene environments” (session H19), INQUA Conference, 2015 July 27
th
to August 2
nd
2015, Nagoya, Japan.
2015 Semaw, S., Rogers, M., Caceres, I., Stout, D., and Levin, N. The Gona
Palaeoanthropological Investigations (Ethiopia), Major Research Results
(1999-2015). Paper presented at the II Meeting of African Prehistory, 15-16
April, 2015, Burgos, Spain.
2013 Semaw, S., Rogers, M.J., Stout, D. and Caceres, I. Early Acheulian stone
assemblages, ~1.7-1.6 million years ago from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia. 3rd
Annual Meeting of the European Society for the Study of Human Evolution.
19-21 September, 2013, Vienna, Austria.
2013 Semaw, S.,Rogers, M. and Stout, D. Plio-Pleistocene Archaeology of Gona
Study Area, Afar, Ethiopia. ESF Earthtime-EU Scientific Meeting “The early-
middle Pleistocene transition: Significance of the Jaramillo subchron in the
sedimentary record.” September 24-27, Burgos, Spain.
2013 Rogers, M.J., Semaw, S., Stout, D. & N. Levin. New excavations at the 2.6-
million-year old OGS-7 site, Gona, Ethiopia. "Paleoanthropology Society
Meetings Abstracts, Honolulu, HI, 2-3 April 2013" PaleoAnthropology, A33.
2010 Semaw, S. The emergence of stone tools at 2.6 Ma: The archaeological
evidence from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia. Les premiers peuplements

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35
préhistoriques sur les different continents. Colloque International dans le
cadre du centre du cnetenaire de l’Instut de Paléontologie humaine (1910-
2010). Institut de Paleontologie Humaine, June 2-6, 2010, Paris, France.
2008 Semaw, S., Rogers, M.J. and Stout, D. The Oldowan-Acheulian Transition: New
Insights from Gona, Ethiopia. Paleoanthropology Society Annual Meeting,
Vancouver, Canada, (Paleoanthropology Society Website).
2008 Stout, D., Semaw, S. and Rogers, M.J. Technological Variation in the Earliest
Oldowan (2.6 Ma) from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia. Paleoanthropology Society
Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada, (Paleoanthropology Society Website).
2007 Rogers, M. and Semaw, S. From Nothing to Something: The earliest
appearance of the archaeological record. Paleoanthropology Society
Meeting Abstracts. March 27-28, Philadelphia, PA, USA, (Paleoanthropology
Society Website).
2006 Semaw, S, Rogers, M., Simpson, S., Quade, J. and Levin, N. Insights on the
beginnings of early hominid stone technology, and recent archaeological
and hominid discoveries from Gona, Afar, Ethiopia. Lucy, 30 ans après:
Hominidés et environments en Afrique de 7 á 1.5 million d’années: novelles
decouvertes et voies recherche, 12-14 June, Aix en Provence, France.
2004 Simpson, S.W., Quade, J. Levin, N.E., Renne, P.R., Butler, R., McIntosh, W., and
Semaw, S. Early Pliocene hominids and their environments at Gona,
Ethiopia. AAPA 73rd Annual Meeting, April 16, Tampa, Florida (AAPA
Website).
2004 Levin, N, Quade, J., Semaw, S., Schick, K., Toth, N., and Simpson, S.W. Plio
Pleistocene environments of Gona, Ethiopia: the isotopic record for
pedogenic carbonate and fossil teeth. Abstract, The Geological Society of
America, Annual Meeting, November 5-8, 33 (6).
2003 Semaw, S., Rogers, M., Quade, J., Dominguez-Rodrigo, M., Simpson, S., Renne,
P., Stout, D., Levin, N. and Butler, R. Recent archaeological discoveries from
Gona, Afar, Ethiopia. Paleoanthropology Society annual meeting, Tempe, AZ
(Paleoanthropology Society Website).
2003 Dominguez-Rodrigo, M., Pickering, T., Semaw, S. and Rogers, M. Cutmarked
bones from Late Pliocene archaeological sites at Gona, Afar, Ethiopia:

42. 36
Implications for the function of the world’s oldest stone tools.
Paleoanthropology Society Annual Meeting, Tempe, AZ (Paleoanthropology
Society Website).
2002 Semaw, S., Schick, K., Toth, N., Simpson, S., Quade, J., Rogers, M., Renne, P.,
Stout, D. and M. Dominguez-Rodrigo. Recent discoveries from Gona, Afar,
Ethiopia. Journal of Human Evolution,42, A33.
2002 Toth, N., Schick, K. and Semaw, S. A technological comparison of the stone
tool-making capabilities of Australopithecus/ early Homo, Pan paniscus, and
Homo sapiens, and possible evolutionary implications. Journal of Human
Evolution, 42, A36.
2001 Semaw, S., Schick, K., Toth, N., Rogers, M.J., Quade, J., Simpson, S.W. and
Dominguez-Rodrigo, M. Further 2.5-2.6 million year old artifacts, new Plio-
Pleistocene archaeological sites and hominid discoveries of 1999 from Gona,
Ethiopia. Journal of Human Evolution, 40, A20.
2001 Simpson, S.W., Semaw, S., Schick, K., Toth, N., Quade, J., Dominguez-
Rodrigo, M. and Rogers, M.J. Early Pliocene hominid remains from Gona,
Ethiopia. Journal of Human Evolution, 40, A21-22.
1994 Semaw, S., J.W.K. Harris, C.S. Feibel and R. Bernor. Archaeology of the Gona
River, West-central Afar region of Ethiopia. Nyame Akuma, 42, p. 56.
2.4. Gulina Archeological and Paleontological research Project
This study area is located in Gulina Woreda, Zone-4, Afara Regional state, around the
Asale ridge areas. The proposed study area is around 100km2 encompasses a
spatially well-constrained uplifted block of sediments, along the western margin of
the Afar depression.
The project was directed by Prof. Scott W. Simpson from C. Western University in
U.S.A. The central theme of the research was understanding of hominin evolution
and its context as well as assessing the geological, archeological and paleontological
potentials of the area. To achieve this goal, the team visited the area and conducted
systematic surveys of the deposited sediments. During the project field season, the
team discovered archeological artifacts which were probably in the Holocene period
and fossils that show late Pleistocene.

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37
2.5. Hadar Research Project Ethiopia
Description of the Site: The Hadar site is located in the Afar depression, in the west
central Afar Triangle (11 10’ north latitude and 40°35’ east longitude) about 300 km
northeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The site contains portions of two major
stratigraphic units separated by an uncomformity: the Hadar Formation, dated to 3.4
to 3.0 Ma, and the Busidima Formation, dated to ~2.7 to ~0.8 Ma (Campisano and
Feibel 2008). The Hadar Formation at Hadar contains ~90% of the hypodigm of the
hominin species Australopithecus afarensis (including the famous Lucy skeleton)
(Kimbel and Delezene 2009). The Busidima Formation at Hadar contains early Homo
and Oldowan stone tools dated to ~2.35 Ma (Kimbel et al., 1996). Therefore, the
Hadar site’s paleoanthropological content, together with its rich faunas and
geological contexts (Reed, 2008; Campisano and Feibel 2007, 2008), permit precise
reconstructions of important time periods in early hominin evolution and habitats.
Principal Investigators:In this project, there are many professionals who have
contributed different innovation related to hominin discoveries over more than 40
years of field research. The original International Afar Research Expedition (IARE:
1973-1976) was led by Drs. Donald Johanson, Maurice Taieb (who discovered Hadar
in 1969), and Yves Coppens. Professor William Kimbel, of Arizona State

44. 38
University(ASU) and the Institute of Human Origins (IHO), currently directs the
project, which is often run as a field school through ASU.
Background of the Project:
The Hadar site was identified in 1969 by geologist M. Taieb, who was conducting field
work along the Awash River. The early work at Hadar, carried out by the IARE from
1973 to 1976, added significantly to the understanding of human evolution during
the middle Pliocene at a time when the hominid record older than 3 myr ago was
unknown (reviewed in Kimbel and
Delezene 2009). Discoveries in
the first phase of research
included a knee joint, the famous
Lucy skeleton, and the associated
skeletal remains of 13 individuals
from the so-called first family
locality A.L. 333. These fossils
have all been dated to between
3.4 and 3.2 Ma. The dating
framework has been worked out
on the basis of radioisotopic
dating, paleomagnetism,
tephrostratigraphy, and
biochronology. Associated with
the hominins is a rich and varied
vertebrate fanaul assemblage
numbering more than 8000
specimens. The
paleoenvironments of the Hadar
Formation have been
reconstructed as well watered
woodland to more open wooded
grassland, with sediments
deposited under fluctuating
fluviatile to lacustrine conditions
(Reed, 2008; Campisano and
Feibel 2007, 2008).

45. 39
39
Since 1992, a major focus of field work conducted at Hadar has centered on
sediments younger than 3.2 Ma, constituting the Kada Hadar member (the youngest
of the four stratigraphic members exposed at the Hadar site: Basal, Sidi Hakoma,
Denen Dora, Kada Hadar). This second phase of research, which is still ongoing, has
resulted in the recovery numerous jaws and teeth, additional limb bones, as well as
the first fairly complete skulls of A. afarensis (A.L. 444-2, in 1992; A.L. 822-1, in 2000)
dated to 3.1-3.0 Ma. Today, there are nearly 400 specimens of A. afarensis from the
Hadar site. The fossil–bearing sediments of the Hadar Formation span about 400,000
y, making the record of A. afarensis one of the most densely sampled in the entire
east African hominin fossil record. In 1994, the upper jaw of early Homo and
Oldowan tools were found in the Busidima Member at Hadar, dated to ~2.35 Ma.
Objectives of the Project: The main aims of the project have been to document the
geographic, stratigraphic, paleoenvironmental, behavioral, and systematic contexts
for the still-growing sample of Hadar fossil hominins. With close to 400 specimens of
A. afarensis now known, paleoanthropologists are able to ask fairly refined questions
about this early hominin species’ paleobiology. Some questions, including those
pertaining to locomotor repertoire, sexual dimorphism, social behavior, and diet are
ongoing subjects of debate. Continued field research and additional specimens will
play important roles in addressing these topics.
Major Discoveries:
As summarized by Kimbel and Delezene (2009), hominin fossils were recovered in the
first Hadar field season, in 1973; these are portions of what were thought to be a
single individual’s lower limb remains (A.L. *Afar Locality] 128-1: proximal femur; A.L.
129-1 a, b, c: distal femur, proximal tibia, proximal femur) and a fragment of
temporal bone (A.L. 166-9). In 1974, the first hominin jaws and teeth were
recovered, including a maxilla with complete adult dentition (A.L. 200-1) and several
mandibles with teeth (A.L. 198-1, A.L. 266-1, A.L. 277-1), but these were nearly
eclipsed by the partial skeleton with associated mandible and fragmentary cranium
that came to be known as ‘‘Lucy’’ (A.L. 288-1). Although all of these specimens were
surface finds, their excellent state of preservation and unprecedented degree of
association of skeletal parts testified to highly favorable depositional and
taphonomic contexts *including, as determined subsequently, an unusually high
depositional rate relative to the fluviolacustrine settings at other east African
hominin sites (Campisano and Feibel, 2007), which was reinforced by the abundant,

46. 40
well preserved vertebrate fauna that was collected during this early phase of the
Hadar field work. In 1975 was discovered A.L. 333, two adjoining hillsides and
associated drainage gullies whose surfaces were littered with hominin fossils.
Between 1975 and 1977, most of the IARE’s paleontological effort was devoted to
extracting the hominin
remains from A.L. 333,
which, by the close of
field work in January,
1977, numbered 200
separately catalogued
specimens
representing many
skeletal and skull parts
of at least 13 adult
and subadult
individuals, and to
determining their
source horizon
through excavation—a
successful operation
that yielded 13 in situ
hominin specimens in
1976. The fossil material
recovered during the first
phase of research became the basis for the naming of a new species of
Australopithecus, A. afarensis by D. Johanson, T. White and Y. Coppens in 1978.
Renewed Hadar field work in the 1990s–2000s resulted in the recovery of two mostly
complete adult skulls (A.L. 444-2, A.L. 822-1) and portions of a third (A.L. 417-1), as
well as numerous additional jaws, teeth and limb bones, including a partial upper
limb skeleton with an associated jaw (A.L. 438-1). The A.L. 444-2 skull has been
described in detail (Kimbel et al. 2004). Additional field work at A.L. 333 added more
than 30 new specimens to the inventory from this locality, including important bones
of the foot (Ward et al. 2011, 2012). All of these fossils have been assigned to A.
afarensis.
The 2.35 Ma upper jaw A.L. 666-1 from the Busidima Formation was found in 1994
and assigned to Homo aff. H. habilis (Kimbel et al. 1997). It was found with numerous
Figure 3: Some of the publications from Hadar sites findings

47. 41
41
Oldowan stone tools. Beginning in 2000, three seasons of excavation at the
contemporary A.L. 894 locality yielded several thousand lithic artifacts (Hovers, 2009;
Goldman-Neuman and Hovers, 2012).
Current Status and Future Prospects: This project is active. Through the Hadar Field
School, led by Professor William Kimbel, it has contributed to the Ethiopian student
field training. It has assured contributions to national research and conservation
capabilities and it has continued to make arrangements of the training of Ethiopians
in the field of research corresponding to the need of the Authority.
Project Contact Address:
Dr. William Kimbel
Director
Institute of Human Origins
PO Box 874101
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona 85287 USA
List of Key Publications
Campisano, C, Feibel, C. 2007. Connecting local environmental sequences to global
climate patterns: Evidence from the hominin-bearing Hadar Formation, Ethiopia.
Journal of Human Evolution 53: 515-527
Campisano, C, Feibel, C. 2008. Depositional environments and stratigraphic summary
of the Pliocene Hadar Formation at Hadar, Afar Depression, Ethiopia. In J. Quade
and J. Wynn (eds.) The Geology of Early Humans in the Horn of Africa. Geological
Society of America Special Paper 446, pp. 179-202.
Goldman-Neuman, T., Hovers, E., 2012. Raw material selectivity in Late Pliocene
Oldowan sites in the Makaamitalu Basin, Hadar, Ethiopia. Journal of Human
Evolution 62, 353-366.
Hovers, E., 2009. Learning from mistakes: flaking accidents and knapping skills in the
assemblage of A. L. 894 (Hadar, Ethiopia). In: Schick, K., Toth, N. (Eds.), The Cutting
Edge: New Approaches to the Archaeology of Human Origins. Stone Age Institute,
Gosport, pp. 137-150.
Johanson, D, White, T, Coppens, Y. 1978. A new species of the genus
Australopithecus (Primates: Hominidae) from the Pliocene of eastern Africa.
Kirtlandia 28:1–14.

48. 42
Kimbel, W.H., Delezene, L. 2009. “Lucy” Redux: 30+ Years of Research on
Australopithecus afarensis. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 52: 2-48.
Kimbel, W.H., Johanson, D, Rak, Y. 1997. Systematic assessment of a maxilla of Homo
from Hadar, Ethiopia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 103: 235-262.
Kimbel, W.H., Rak, Y., Johanson, D. 2004. The Skull of Australopithecus afarensis. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Kimbel, W, Walter, C, Johanson, D, Reed, K, Aronson, J, Assefa, Z, Marean, C, Eck, G,
Bobe,
R. 1996. Late Pliocene Homo and Oldowan tools from the Hadar Formation (Kada
Hadar Member), Ethiopia. Journal of Human Evolution 31: 549-561
Reed, K.E. 2008. Paleoecological patterns at the Hadar Hominin site, Afar Regional
State, Ethiopia. Journal of Human Evolution 54: 743-768.
Ward, C.V, Kimbel, W.H., Johanson, D. 2011. Complete fourth metatarsal and arches
in the foot of Australopithecus afarensis. Science 331: 750-753.
Ward, C.V., Kimbel, W.H., Harmon, E.H., Johanson, D. 2012. New postcranial fossils of
Australopithecus afarensis from Hadar, Ethiopia (1990-2007). J. Hum. Evol., 63:1-
51.
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2.6. Kesem Kebena Dulecha Rescue and Exploration Project
Description of the Site: TheKesem-Kebena study area is found in Afar Regional state,
Zone Three and Zone Five Dulecha area. It is located about 40 km north of the Awash
Railway Station along the foothills between the western rift margin and the Awash
River floodplain and it has high proximity to the northern terminus of the Main
Ethiopian Rift.
Principal Investigator/s: The ongoing Kesem Kebena Dulecha project is being led by a
paleontologist Professor W. Henery Gilbert from California State University. The
project team includes archaeologists, paleontologists and geologists from different
countries.
Background of the Project:
The paleontological and archaeological importance of the Kesem Kebena study area
was known since 1988/89, when it was discovered by the Paleoanthropological
Inventory of Ethiopia. During this inventory project, several new localities with
vertebrate fossils and Achulean and late Stone Age artifacts were discovered in
Kesem Kebena along the foothills of western rift margin. Since the site was identified;
several archaeological, paleontological as well as geological researches were
conducted by different researchers.
The Ethiopian Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH)
invited Dr. Henery Gilbert to undertake rescue and salvage operation in the sugar
plantation project area. Accordingly, the initial field work of Kesem-Kebena Dulecha
exploration project was started in 2007. The project is still undertaking its research
based on various objectives. So far, Pleistocene and Neolithic fossils and artifacts,
including hominid fossils are recovered and collected from imminent destruction to
permanent housing in ARCCH laboratory.Most importantly, the project scored great
achievement in preserving and analyzing artifacts and fossils exposed for destruction.
Objectives of the Project:
The research project is mainly aims to undertake rescue and salvage operations in
response to developmental projects that are ongoing in the area. In relation to this,

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the project also aimed at conducting paleontological, archaeological and geological
researches due to the various potentials of the site.
Localities:
In Kesem Kebena Dulecha study area various archaeological and paleontological
localities were identified during different years of field season. All localities have
been yielding different archaeological and paleontological discoveries which provide
significant information to reach up to the research goal. Among the most important
localities that provided significance archaeological and paleontological discoveries,
KK-51 has been central focus of rescue. Other localities such as KK-49, KK-71, KK-6,
KK-66, KK-72, KK-42, KK-75, KK-76, KK-77, KK-78, KK-79, KK-80, KK-81, KK-82, KK-83,
KK-84, KK-85, KK-86, and KK-87 are providing different artifacts and hominid
specimens.
Major Discoveries: The most crucial discoveries from Kesem Kebena sites are
Achulian, Late Stone Age, Middle Stone Age and Neolithic artifacts. Likely, fossils like
hominids, bovid, equids and suids were uncovered from the site.
Current Status and Future Prospects:
Exploration and salvage of Kesem Kebena Dulecha area is planned to continue in the
coming years. The railroad and asphalt road construction, oil exploration,
urbanization as well as other infrastructural activities that are going on in the Kesem-
Kebena area expected to cross Kesem Kebena Dulecha study area. The rich
archaeological and paleontological potential of the site along with the developmental
pressures highly aggravated the researchers to continue their research activity.

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2.5. Ledi-Geraru Research Project
Description of the Site: The Ledi-Geraru locality is found in Afar National
Regional State near to the famous paleontological site of Hadar, in the northern
Awash basin.
The boundaries
of the study area
are the Awash
River to the
south and to the
east, the 11
0
30‘
parallel to the
north, and the
Ourda and Ledi
Rivers on a
diagonal to the
40
0
30‘ to the
west. Much of
the study area is
covered by
plateau gravels
and without
usable outcrop.
Most of the
accessible
exposures are
correlative with
the same
stratigraphic
levels (Hadar and Busidima Formations) as are at the Hadar, Gona, and Busidima-
Dikika sites. Notably, there are also sediments between those two Formations from
2.84 – 2.7 Ma. The habitat interpretation made by the project members and based
on the recovered fauna fossils indicates that the area in the past was a mosaic of
habitats at different times, such as bushland, open woodland, and grassland.
Figure 1. Map of Ledi-Geraru Research Project Area

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Team Leader/Famous Personalities: Some of the team members of this
project were previously members of the Hadar Research Project including team
leader Dr. Kaye E. Reed. Team members include Ramon Arrowsmith, Christopher
Campisano and Brian Villmoare as field directors in different field seasons. Dr.
Charles Lockwood was a member of the original team, but is now deceased. Reed
and Campisano are from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona
State University; Arrowsmith is from the School of Earth and Space Exploration at the
same University; Villmoare is at the Department of Anthropology, University of
Nevada, Las Vegas.
Background of the Project: The Ledi Geraru project began its study as the Middle
Ledi Research Project, which is located where the southern Ledi Basin is on the map,
in January 2002. After the first field season in the Middle Ledi area, the project
researchers noted that the fossiliferous exposures were present in only about a 35
sq. km area of sediments, and this small area by itself did not offer potential for long-
term scientific work, nor the ability to secure significant funding. The researchers
requested to work on a larger area adjacent to the Ledi and Geraru Rivers, and near
the Mille-Bati and Adaitu-Mille roads and the project was renamed the Ledi Geraru
Research Project. The researchers only surveyed in this area in 2004 and 2005, and
then worked on the geology in 2006 and 2008. They began to collect fossils in 2012
and have continued through 2015.
Objectives of the Project: The general objectives of this project are investigating the
paleoanthropological, archaeological and paleoecological aspects of a time period
that is not well represented in the rest of the lower Awash Basin. Therefore, the first
objective was establishing the chronology of the sediments in the study area. Based
on dating and correlating volcanic tephras and paleomagnetic analysis, the time
period of many of the sediments in the eastern Ledi-Geraru area is between 2.8 to
approximately 1.0 million years ago, but these sediments are not continuous nor
widely exposed. Within this time frame their research goals are to: 1) identify and
describe some of the oldest part of the Oldowan record; 2) expand a mammalian
fossil record that was sparse in this time period; 3) document the anatomy and
evolutionary relationships of various fossil groups, including hominids, other
primates, and ecologically sensitive mammals such as bovids; and 4) study regional