Towards an Understanding of Site Formation' and the Integrity of the Excavated Stone Artifact Assemblage From Fxjj 20 Site Complex, Koobi Fora, Kenya

Abstract

The reconstruction of past human behaviour from patterns of material remains recovered from archaeological sites is one of the major goals in archaeology. It is recognized that these patterns are the result of a complex set of interactions between cultural and non-cultural factors. In order to achieve this goal, it is argued that the archaeologist must have a well founded understanding of how the archaeological record is formed. Studies of site formation processes aim at providing the data that can be used to interpret and explain the nature of the materials deposited by both cultural and non-cultural processes, and the relationships between these materials and past human behaviour. This thesis provides information on the processes involved in the formation of FxJj 20 Site Complex - an Early Stone Age Site in the Lower Okote Member of the Koobi Fora Formation in the Lake Turkana Basin of Northern Kenya. This has been done through a conjoins and technological analyses of the stone artefact assemblage from the site. A conjoins analysis of 'the stone artefact assemblage excavated from this site provides evidence on the vertical displacement of artefacts ln fine-grained overbank deposits through a variety of depositional and post-depositional processes. In addition it provides information on the intrasite spatial patterning of the stone artifacts that accumulated at this site. The vertical and horizontal distribution of artefacts can be used to assess alternative interpretations about the extent of post-\depositional disturbance of archaeological materials, and may allow the identification of some of the individual events and activities that resulted in the dense accumulation of archaeological debris at the FxJj 20 locality. Technological studies are useful for determining how things were made and what sorts of materials hominids were carrying and discarding across the landscape. Indeed technological analysis in this study provides insights into , the sorts 0f hom1'n1'dactivities that were carr1ed out at the Site• The analysis further provides information about the forms of raw materials hominids were exploiting at the site. Chapter one states the aims and scope of the thesis. A discussion of archaeological site formation processes and a review of previous research is presented. This is followed by specific questions addressed to in this thesis. Chapter two describes the methods and procedures used in both conjoins and technological analysis. Results of the analyses are reported in Chapters three and four. Chapter three presents results of a conjoins analysis and discusses their implication, while chapter four reports results of technological analysis and their implications. Chapter five deals with a summary and conclusions. A reiteration of the inferences made from each aspect of the analysis and a discussion of all of them in relation to the objectives set out