Revisiting Herto: New evidence of Homo sapiens from Ethiopia

Abstract

Localities in the radiometrically dated Upper Herto Member of Ethiopia’s Bouri Formation continue to produce new data that complement and extend initial reports of fossils and artifacts published in 2003. Results of these revisits are reported here and include the in situ recovery of artifacts from the same sediments containing hominid fossils. We evaluate the absolute and relative temporal placement of the Herto discoveries in light of new field observations and in the context of new data from the Omo Kibish Formation of southern Ethiopia. The Upper Herto Member stone tool assemblage includes artifacts normally typologically attributed to both Acheulean and Middle Stone Age industries or technocomplexes. These discoveries and other aspects of continuing Herto research help to elucidate the timing and patterns of technological, behavioral, and anatomical change in Africa during the evolution of our species.