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A new method to evaluate 3D spatial patterns within early hominin-bearing sites. An example from Kromdraai (Gauteng Province, South Africa)

2020; Elsevier BV; Volume: 32; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102376

2352-4103

Nonkululeko Mantombi Ngoloyi, Jean Dumoncel, J. Francis Thackeray, José Braga,

Evolution and Paleontology Studies

Despite its potential to unravel past behaviors, statistical testing of spatial patterns within early hominin-bearing fossil assemblages has generally been overlooked. For instance, previous investigations of spatial patterning within sites from the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage area (Gauteng Province, South Africa) (with notable exceptions of studies at Rising Star) have relied primarily on visual interpretations of fossil-plotted point clouds against photographs or stretched drawings of stratigraphic interpretations. The main purpose of this study is to describe a new method to evaluate 3D spatial patterns within early hominin-bearing fossil assemblages in general and, secondly, to apply this method to the fossils recently recovered from the unroofed cave system of Kromdraai for a tentative interpretation. We therefore undertake one of the first statistical approaches of 3D spatial patterning in Plio-Pleistocene early hominin-bearing assemblages in South Africa. We identify four clusters in the Kromdraai dataset that correspond mainly to the oldest yet known hominin-bearing lithostratigraphic unit from this site - Unit P - that has recently yielded a rich Plio-Pleistocene fauna. This spatial patterning reveals a non-uniform distribution of fossils within Unit P. As yet it is too preliminary to interpret the statistically grounded spatial patterning described in this study of the Kromdraai. However, we recommend the application of our proposed approach to deposits at other sites in the Cradle of Humankind for a more evidence-based assessment of spatial patterns within hominin-bearing assemblages in this region.