Carmen Martin Ramos
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PhD Title
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Homo erectus behavioural and cognitive evolution at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania). A technological approach. |
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Research Theme
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Past Life and Environments |
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Primary Supervisor
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Primary Institution
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Secondary Supervisor
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Secondary Institution
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Additional supervisor(s)
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James Steele (UCL), |
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Abstract
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My PhD research focus on Homo erectus behavioural and cognitive evolution at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania). It aims to reconstruct hominin behaviour from the material culture that our ancestors left behind, and thus, this project is based on a re-evaluation of archaeological handaxes from a series of Acheulean sites excavated by Mary Leakey and the Olduvai Geochronology Archaeology Project in Olduvai Gorge. In addition to reconstruction of the chaînes opératoires employed, this project aims to identify behavioural patterns in LCTs (Large Cutting Tools) that can be correlated to cognitive development and the increase of working memory capacity. In order to address hominin cognitive skills, this project is based on the analysis of LCTs from the different archaeological beds at Olduvai Gorge. These Large Cutting Tools are the most representative tool type in the Acheulean record and the first evidence of the deliberate imposition of shape and form. Among other factors, such intentional façonnage reflects the existence of a mental template in the minds of knappers, as well as degrees of forward planning. These characteristics, together with the fact that Acheulean handaxes become more standardised, symmetrical and refined through time, have made them a specific subject for inferring the mental capabilities of Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis. |
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Policy Impact
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Background Reading
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Publications
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