Field work in Turkana, Kenya

My Experiment project will raise funds for my laboratory work in the USA, but I want to share with you about the archaeological sites that are the main subject of my dissertation research. These are the sites that have inspired my experimental work. 

My dissertation research focuses on stone tools found at three archaeological sites within an area called the Kokiselei Site Complex in Turkana, northwestern Kenya. This simply means that these archaeological sites are concentrated within a certain geological and geographical context. The three sites date to between 1.8 - 1.75 million years ago and boast very rich stone tool assemblages. The whole purpose of this experimental data is to better understand what our human ancestors were doing when they made the stone tools that we have discovered at Kokiselei.

This field area is very remote in the semi-desert west of the Lake Turkana in northwestern Kenya. It is no easy feat getting out to excavate these sites! The archaeological stone tool assemblages from Kokiselei were excavated by members of the West Turkana Archaeological Project in the 90's and early 2000's. I am very fortunate to be a new member of this team and to have taken part in excavations at the archaeological site containing the world's oldest stone tools (3.3 million years old) called Lomekwi 3. I was also able to travel a few hours further north to visit the Kokiselei complex and see the landscape in which the archaeological stone tool assemblages that I study at the museum really come from.

Just for fun - take a few steps in an archaeologists shoes and see what it's like to travel to these remote areas and to excavate!

First, the team flies from Nairobi to Lodwar in Turkana.

Then comes the long, long drive through the semi-desert to our camp site...beware of the shaky camera - we are off-road driving!

We live among rural communities in northwestern Kenya while we do our field work. It's a wonderful and challenging experience. We meet lots of amazing people along the way!

After another drive and a bit of a hike, we arrive at the sites! Excavating takes a really long time, a lot of patience, and some creativity in your toolkit. Here we're using screwdrivers and hammers to carefully chip away at the Pliocene clay sediment to get to the artifacts.

We make sure every field season to re-visit as many known sites as possible to check on their preservation. This is especially important because the Kokiselei sites are what we call "open-air sites". This means (as the name suggests) the archaeological materials and their surface contexts are exposed completely to the elements. Erosion by wind and water (yes, water! When it rains, it pours in Turkana) can wreak havoc on these sites - but it can also reveal new artifacts by removing the dirt.

 

The site of Kokiselei 6 was excavated in the early 2000's. Erosional processes continue to change the surface of the site, and to reveal new artifacts.

We continue to check these sites to assess their future potential as productive excavation sites. Keeping this info in our back pockets is important, because we will renew studies at these sites when the research questions, time and money make it possible.