Archaeology often involves extensive surveys before embarking on actual surface collections and/or excavations. Origins Field School students recently took a virtual tour of the Lothagam-Lokam locality on the west side of Lake Turkana, where they explored the research history of the site from 1960s to present. The Lothagam locality is known for its impressive [...]
This week, Dr. Lisa Hildebrand introduced students to Holocene cultural practices across Africa and in the Turkana Basin. This is Dr. Hildebrand's primary area of research, and she shared her perspectives on ancient human activities in the region and the climatic changes that influenced them. The Holocene time period spans from about 11,700 years ago [...]
As we delve deeper into major innovations of earliest technologies in the archaeological record, TBI Origin Field School students have learnt to appreciate the importance of meticulously recording and analyzing data. The archaeological record involving stone tool technology is characterized by changes in production and form of artefacts, and through detailed studies we can understand [...]
The last course of the field school is underway, Archaeology of the Turkana Basin. Prof. Elisabeth Hildebrand from Stony Brook University joins us as the lead instructor of this course. She has been doing research on the west side of Lake Turkana for years, with a focus on Late Pleistocene and Holocene Archaeology. Prof. [...]
As we approach the end of the Human Evolution course, students have been learning about the evolution of our own genus Homo. They have come to find out that climatic changes that happened about 3-2.5 mya seem to coincide with the evolutionary changes of our ancestors. We learn that the environmental shift from wooded areas [...]
The quest to understand our origins has been a topic that has kept many paleoanthropologists engaged in reconstructing the evolutionary tree in the past few years. Fossil specimens from different sites in the world have been the primary source of data, most of which are from the Late Miocene period (11.6-5.3mya), and the Plio-pleistocene period [...]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students and instructors returned back to their home countries around mid-March. Since then, the Origins Field School has been utilizing virtual classes for its remaining two courses. Underway is the Human Evolution course, taught by Dr. Carrie Mongle. She is a postdoctoral research fellow at the American Museum of Natural [...]
On Monday, students were introduced to the basics of anthropometrics, which are fundamental to understanding human physical variations in populations. Students have come to find out the importance of measuring weight, height, and body fat percentages in assessing diets and life-histories. As emphasized by our instructor, Zane, local adaptations influence much of the body form [...]
Water is a vital but scarce resource for pastoral communities in the Turkana Basin. The situation has been worsened by climate change, which often results in prolonged periods of drought or floods. Water sources determine the movement pattern and settling sphere of people and their livestock. During dry seasons, the Daassanach move around in search [...]
Over time, anthropologists have been exploring the complexities of different societies through human and cultural interactivity, mainly by living, and practicing the community's way of life to acquire first-hand information from an "insiders" perspective. This week, the students have been introduced to the Dassanach culture, where they have been observing, conducting discussions, and interacting with [...]
A trip to Buluk on Monday morning marked the start of our last week studying Vertebrate Paleontology. The middle Miocene site of Buluk sits on basaltic sediments dated to about 16mya. The faunal interchange during the early Miocene, as a result of a terrestrial connection between Eurasia and Africa, was the main factor that brought [...]
Our main focus this week has been trying to understand mammalian bone structure and functions. Students learned about mammalian evolution and adaptation to different ecological habitats. Bones tell us about the diets, locomotion style, and types of environment animals occupied. For instance, zebras have high crowned teeth (hypsodont), designed to better handle the tough foods [...]
As we start our new course, Vertebrate Paleontology, taught by Prof. Ellen Miller of Wake Forest University, students are ready to put in practice all the amassed knowledge and skills from the last two courses (Ecology and Geology) in reconstructing paleoenvironments, and describing geological contexts in which fossils are found. The week started with [...]
On Wednesday morning, we packed and left for Koobi Fora for an overnight camping trip. Koobi Fora sits on the eastern shores of Lake Turkana, in Sibiloi National Park. The sediments in the region preserve numerous mammalian fossils, making it an important region for paleoanthropological research. Our first stop was at Il Allia river/Laga Bura [...]
We’re in our last week of the Geology course. Students have been busy sharpening their mapping skills while working on various exercises. On Monday morning, students went out to the exhumed channels in Area 6A, where they examined and mapped sandstones that represent an ancient river channel. According to Dr. Raynolds, organizing geological information is [...]
Turkana Basin geology has been well studied and documented. Understanding the sedimentation processes and geochronology of the region is crucial in reconstructing paleoenvironments and putting data in context. Dr. Craig Feibel and Dr. Bob Raynolds, instructors for the Geology module, introduced students to the stratigraphy of the Ileret region, including the rich Pliocene and Pleistocene [...]
Our last week at Mpala was an eventful one. Students learned about the various effects of human-wildlife interaction, pastoralism, and the effects of climate change on the ecosystem. On Monday, Sandy Oduor, a researcher working with Mpala Elephant Project, accompanied students into the field to study the elephants. The immense droughts in recent years, [...]
The impact of climate change has been detrimental to the world's biodiversity. Many animals are endangered or facing extinction. In the East Africa Savannah, poaching, drought, and habitat loss are all factors affecting wildlife. Increased human populations have also led to habitat loss, livestock-wildlife competition, and as such, Grevy's zebra are now an endangered species. [...]
The first week of the semester kicked off with the ecology module at Mpala Research Center (MRC). The biomes at the center are diverse and provide the students with a good “living laboratory” to understand the ecosystem of the region. MRC boasts great wildlife such as elephants and hippos, the endangered Grevy’s zebra, common [...]
Happy new year! I hope you all had peaceful holidays. The Spring 2020 field school is off to a great start. The students arrived on the 15th of January and we spent the first three nights at the amazing Wildebeest Eco camp. The ambience is always so peaceful and the best part, a pool to [...]