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Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Oldowan pp 111–128Cite as

Obsidian exploitation and utilization during the Oldowan at Melka Kunture (Ethiopia)

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Part of the book series: Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology ((VERT))

Abstract

The Oldowan assemblages of Melka Kunture represent the earliest known example of obsidian utilization. The proximity of primary and secondary sources of Balchit obsidian, a high quality raw material easily available in large quantities, is a unique situation among East African Oldowan sites. Obsidian represents a large component of the lithic assemblages at Melka Kunture, not only during the Oldowan but during the Acheulian times as well. Other volcanic rocks are incorporated into the technological system at Melka Kunture such as basalts, ignimbrites, trachytes and trachybasalts, which present completely different characteristics for knapping.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche Archeologiche e Antropologiche dell’Antichità, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Via Palestro, 63 – 00185, Roma, Italy

    Marcello Piperno

  2. Université Nice -Sophia Antipolis, 250 rue Albert Einstein, bât. 1, 06560 Valbonne, France

    Carmine Collina (CEPAM UMR 6130 CNRS)

  3. Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche Archeologiche e Antropologiche dell’Antichità, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Via Palestro, 63 – 00185, Roma, Italy

    Carmine Collina (CEPAM UMR 6130 CNRS)

  4. Dipartimento di Scienze Storiche Archeologiche e Antropologiche dell’Antichità, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Via Palestro, 63 – 00185, Roma, Italy

    Rosalia Gallotti

  5. Université de Bordeaux 1, Bâtiment B18, avenue des Facultés, 33405, Talence, France

    Jean-Paul Raynal (CNRS, UMR 5199 PACEA, IPGQ)

  6. 22 rue Paul Gaubin, 63450, Le Crest, France

    Guy Kieffer

  7. Institut de Recherche sur les Archéomatériaux, UMR 5060 CNRS-Université Bordeaux 3 Maison de l’ArchéologieEsplanade des Antilles, 33607, Pessac, France

    Francois-Xavier le Bourdonnec

  8. Institut de Recherche sur les Archéomatériaux, UMR 5060 CNRS-Université Bordeaux 3 Maison de l’ArchéologieEsplanade des Antilles, 33607, Pessac, France

    Gerard Poupeau (UPR 2147 CNRS)

  9. 44 rue de l’Amiral Mouchez, 75014, Paris, France

    Denis Geraads

Authors
  1. Marcello Piperno
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  2. Carmine Collina
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  3. Rosalia Gallotti
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  4. Jean-Paul Raynal
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  5. Guy Kieffer
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  6. Francois-Xavier le Bourdonnec
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  7. Gerard Poupeau
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  8. Denis Geraads
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel

    Erella Hovers

  2. Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, 7701, Rondebosch, South Africa

    David R. Braun

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Piperno, M. et al. (2009). Obsidian exploitation and utilization during the Oldowan at Melka Kunture (Ethiopia). In: Hovers, E., Braun, D.R. (eds) Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Oldowan. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9060-8_10

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