The Homa Peninsula Paleoanthropological Project (HPPP)

The HPPP is an interdisciplinary paleoanthropological project investigating paleontological and archeological occurrences on the Homa Peninsula, southwestern Kenya. Survey has documented sites ranging in age from the Holocene through the late Pliocene. The current research focus is on the Oldowan locality of Kanjera South. Excavations from 1996 - 2001 recovered rich concentrations of 2.0 million year old Oldowan artifacts and fossils in several excavations, including the 175 m2 Excavation 1. Approximately 3000 fossils and 4500 artifacts were lifted with three dimensional coordinates and thousands of additional fossils and artifacts were collected in spit bag and sieving, providing the first major Oldowan assemblage with both artifacts and fauna outside of Bed I/lower Bed II Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Our investigation now focuses on reconstructing the paleoecological context of activities at Kanjera, hominid ranging behavior including the transport of lithic raw materials, faunal acquisition strategies, including the strong possibility of small mammal hunting, the relationship between technology and raw material availability and quality, and artifact function.

The HPPP is collaborating with a Human Origins Program (Smithsonian Institution) project directed by Rick Potts investigating 3 to 6 million year old paleontological sites on the Homa Peninsula. This collaboration insures that the entire 6 million year sequence is examined with a coherent research design using a consistent set of techniques. More information on the Human Origins program can be found at http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/index.htm