Browsing by Author "Favreau, Julien"

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    Lithic Raw Material Characterisation at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
    (2019-04-18) Favreau, Julien; Mercader, Julio; Hubbard, Stephen M.; Walls, Matthew
    Olduvai Gorge is located within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Tanzania along the western margin of the East African Rift System. Olduvai’s sedimentary record exhibits a complex sequence of inter-stratified lithic technologies including Oldowan, Acheulean, Middle Stone Age, and Later Stone Age assemblages. While diachronic technological change is perceptible, one aspect that remained largely unchanged through time was the totality of locally-available rock types. This study constitutes Olduvai Gorge’s first systematic survey and characterisation of source lithologies using thin section petrography. The primary objectives of this thesis were to establish the range of available lithic raw materials, petrographically characterise these, and determine if there were unique inter-outcrop petrographic signatures to determine if it is feasible to source lithic artifacts at the mineralogical level. Geological samples were collected in primary and secondary positions within the greater Olduvai Gorge region. A total of seventy-four thin sections of sixty-two geological samples from nineteen sources were analysed. By way of comparative analyses, it is shown that four quartzitic outcrops have unique mineral compositions, four meta-granite varieties are unique to individual outcrops, Engelosin phonolite samples are texturally and mineralogically unique, and magmatic samples recovered in secondary position may be sourced to their volcanic centre. The results of this thesis demonstrate it is feasible to differentiate between source material by way of optical mineralogy which implies that sourcing lithic artifacts from Olduvai is possible. Altogether, these revelatory insights will allow future researchers to glean new understandings of hominin raw material transport, as well as ecological and social behaviour within the Olduvai paleobasin.
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    Shallow Pasts, Endless Horizons: Sustainability & Archaeology
    (Chacmool Archaeological Association, 2017-02-16) Favreau, Julien; Patalano, Robert
    The 48th Annual Chacmool Conference explored the concept of sustainability from an archaeological perspective. Sustainability can be broadly defined as the way in which people or communities remain diverse, yet productive while maintaining an ecological balance. As public awareness increases in response to the ramifications of modern landuse and its ecological impact, sustainable practices that probe potential strategies for alleviating current pressures have emerged in a number of disciplines including archaeology. The archaeology of sustainability has the potential to transcend geographical and temporal boundaries through a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach. This is especially true considering that archaeology has the advantage of providing both diachronic and synchronic snapshots of the past which may serve as precedents of sustainable living in modern times. Another important development has been the use of sustainable methods in archaeological research which allow researchers to extract an increasing amount of information from a range of digital and less destructive tecniques. Also emerging from the concept of sustainability in archaeology is a reflexive gaze upon the discipline itself. It would seem as though public and community engagement as well as Indigenous archaeologies provide some of the solutions in creating a sustainable archaeology, now and in the future. The papers in Part I and II of these proceedings touch upon the aforementioned sub-themes of sustainability in archaeology. Additionally, the papers in Part III are included in recognition of the late Jane Holden Kelley, her various contributions in archaeology and anthropology, and most importantly, on the positive influence she had on generations of people who had come to know her. It is hoped that the entirety of this volume contributes to the growing dialogue regarding sustainability and archaeology.