The early Acheulean in Peninj (Lake Natron, Tanzania)

The aim of this study is to reassess the early Acheulean at Peninj, on the western shore of Lake Natron (Tanzania). This paper describes the archaeological contexts and technological strategies of two assemblages, RHS-Mugulud and MHS-Bayasi, dated to 1.5-1.1 myr ago. The study of lithic artefacts from Glynn Isaac's excavations in 1960s-1980s, curated at the National Museum of Dar-cs-Salaam (Tanzania), the review of Isaac's unpublished field notes and manuscripts held at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and new data from recent excavations in RHS-Mugulud, have made it possible to characterize these emblematic assemblages of the early African Acheulean, and to reflect on the technological meaning of the first large cutting tools (LCTs). (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.