West Turkana Archaeological Project

Here you can find a selection of some of our most important scientific papers.

Discovery of Lomekwi 3 Significance: 3.3 million-year-old stone artefacts – 700,000 year older than any previously known – suggest stone tool making developed prior to the genus Homo. Harmand_et_al_2015 (main paper) Harmand_et_al_2015b (supplementary data) Hovers_2015 (comment on Lomekwi 3 discovery) Lewis & Harmand 2016 (update paper)

Skilful toolmaking at Lokalalei 2C Significance: 2.34 million years ago, hominin stone tool knappers were capable of producing sharp-edged Oldowan flakes very intelligently and efficiently, and with surprising manual dexterity. Roche_et_al_1999 Delagnes & Roche_2004

Selection of rocks for stone tool making at Lokalalei Oldowan sites Significance: Reveals important differences in the way that hominins chose rocks for toolmaking at nearby sites around 2.3 million years ago.	Stratigraphy and environment of Lokalalei Oldowan sites Significance: Refines the age difference between two important Lokalalei oldowan tool sites and the evidence for the nearby environments.
Harmand 2009	Tiercelin_et_al_2010

The oldest known Acheulean technology Significance: 1.76 million year old biface tools from the Kokiselei 4 site provide a new start-date for this long-lived toolmaking tradition.	The Acheulean elephant butchery site of Nadung’a 4 Significance: Abundant stone tools found alongside the 700 thousand year old remains of a large elephant and may have been used to butcher it.
Lepre_et_al_2011	Delagnes_et_al_2006

Reports the oldest known fossil of the genus Homo in West Turkana Significance: Important morphological and behavioural changes  are associated with the emergence of the genus Homo, which is shown to be present in Turkana around 2.3 million years ago.	West Turkana early stone tool makers favoured woody habitats Significance: Analysis shows stone tool sites dated between 2.4 and 1.4 million years old were located near to tree cover, contrasting the traditional idea that hominins favoured open savannas.
Prat_et_al_2005	Quinn_et_al_2013

Initial discovery of early archaeological sites in West Turkana Significance: Early research paper describing the geological context and archaeological potential of West Turkana.	Overview of Early Stone Age sites discovered in West Turkana (in french) Significance: Highlights the richness of the archaeological record of West Turkana, based on results prior to 2001.
Kibunja_et_al_1992	Roche_et_al_2003