The Emergence of the Acheulean in East Africa

The end of the Oldowan and the origin of the Acheulean are widely debated in Early Stone Age studies. In East Africa, there is now solid geochronological evidence pointing to the emergence of the Acheulean between 1.76 and 1.4 Ma. Despite ongoing discussions, however, the tempo and mode of technological changes are still poorly understood. New approaches to lithic collections, including analysis of lithic technology, put into question previous typological definitions. Doubts have also aroused on the hypothesis of a coexistence of Developed Oldowan and Early Acheulean. This has wide implications outside Africa, as the Acheulean is also found in Europe and Asia. The aim of the workshop is to bring together for the first time researchers currently working in this field in East Africa, in order to define the characteristics and the evolution of the Early Acheulean. The role of the East African Early Acheulean in the emergence of the Acheulean outside Africa will not be dealt into any detail. However, the outcome of the workshop will also pave the way to better understanding dispersals into other continents, and/or typo-technological convergences.