Policarpo Sánchez | Universidad de Valladolid (original) (raw)

Papers by Policarpo Sánchez

Plos One, 2017

The Acheulean materials documented in FLK West dated c. 1.7 Ma. are the focus of the present work... more The Acheulean materials documented in FLK West dated c. 1.7 Ma. are the focus of the present work. An original techno-functional approach is applied here to analyze the origin of Acheulean tools. According to the results, these tools were employed in different functional contexts in which tasks of different durations that transformed resources with different resistances were carried out. The exploitation of large and resistant resources suggests that the economic mechanism governing the manufacture of these tools was an increase in the demand of the work load. The decision processes underlying the production of these tools have thus an evident functional motivation. However, the presence of a refined handaxe in the studied sample indicates that the design form and production principles of handaxe manufacture were the result of an abrupt emergence rather than a long gradual development. The integration of mechanical and ergonomic investigation in our research has been crucial to explain how a core-and-flake industry gave way to a technology based on the production of large and heavy shaped tools.

Taphonomic analysis carried out at BK4b has provided compelling evidence for megafaunal acquisiti... more Taphonomic analysis carried out at BK4b has provided compelling evidence for megafaunal acquisition and consumption , and the amount of meat that hominins consumed is far greater than documented at any other early Pleistocene site. The aim of the present work is to characterize the lithic assemblage associated with such a special subsistence context. The results presented here show that the bulk of the technological process was largely devoted to producing in-site small quartz flakes motivated by an imperative demand for durable cutting edges. Conversely, the operational sequence aimed at producing LCTs played a secondary role and is represented by different and isolated fractions. The quality of the cutting edges of quartz flakes may explain the preferential use of quartz at BK4b for flake production. These techno-economic strategies are likely connected with the exploitation and consumption of carcasses (butchering technology), but other subsistence activities were carried out besides butchery. In sum, we can conclude that the higher demand of cutting edges that presumably required a recurrent megafaunal exploitation at BK4b was largely satisfied by the production of small flakes rather than LCTs.

The appearance of the Acheulean is one of the hallmarks of human evolution. It represents the em... more The appearance of the Acheulean is one of the hallmarks of human evolution. It represents the
emergence of a complex behavior, expressed in the recurrent manufacture of large-sized tools, with
standardized forms, implying more advance forethought and planning by hominins than those required
by the precedent Oldowan technology. The earliest known evidence of this technology dates back
to c. 1.7Ma. and is limited to two sites (Kokiselei [Kenya] and Konso [Ethiopia]), both of which lack
functionally-associated fauna. The functionality of these earliest Acheulean assemblages remains
unknown. Here we present the discovery of another early Acheulean site also dating to c. 1.7Ma from
Olduvai Gorge. This site provides evidence of the earliest steps in developing the Acheulean technology
and is the oldest Acheulean site in which stone tools occur spatially and functionally associated with the
exploitation of fauna. Simple and elaborate large-cutting tools (LCT) and bifacial handaxes co-exist at
FLK West, showing that complex cognition was present from the earliest stages of the Acheulean. Here
we provide a detailed technological study and evidence of the use of these tools on the butchery and
consumption of fauna, probably by early Homo erectus sensu lato.

The Northwest of Iberia has yielded one of the most complete European Middle Paleolithic records.... more The Northwest of Iberia has yielded one of the most complete European Middle Paleolithic records. Despite this wealth of information, very little is known about population dynamics during this period. For that reason, the main concern of this paper is to provide socio-environmental models that may help explain Early Middle Paleolithic (EMP) population dynamics in NW Iberia, assessing to what extent they were shaped by climate forces. The archaeological record is analyzed on the basis of the heuristics of ecological models, already employed in the European Pleistocene record but never at a regional scale, in order to detect long-term changes in the composition of EMP populations, and the environmental, biological and sociocultural process influencing those changes. According to the models proposed, we have detected a long-term population dynamic between MIS 11 and MIS 6, characterized by low environmental stress, high biological productivity, interaction among populations and sociocultural complexity. Eventually, this population dynamic was broken due to an extreme climate phase in late MIS 6 that had a profound impact on populations and sociocultural structures. As a result, the Upper Pleistocene population of NW Iberia was concentrated in the Cantabrian region. This area became an isolated Neanderthal glacial refugium that hosted a population with different origins and fragile long-term demographic stability.

The present work explores the production and functional relationships that may exist between bipo... more The present work explores the production and functional relationships that may exist between bipolar cores and
spheroids in Olduvai Gorge. Percussion experiments have been conducted to determine: if the bipolar technique
is an adequate solution to split large and heavy quartz blocks into cuboid-shaped fragments, and inwhich percussion
activities those bipolar fragments are modified from cuboid to spherical shape. In light of the results
achieved, it can be concluded that: the bipolar technique is the most efficient technique to produce portable
and manageable cuboid-shaped slab fragments, and bipolar cuboid-shaped fragments can be modified to subspherical
shape through intensive percussive processes. The associations established between use patterns and
functional parameters have allowed us to suggest that food pounding is the most plausible functional context
for such shape modification.

Discriminación experimental de los rasgos técnicos en la talla bipolar y a mano alzada en lascas ... more Discriminación experimental de los rasgos técnicos en la talla bipolar y a mano alzada en lascas a través de los cuarzos de Naibor Soit (Garganta de Olduvai, Tanzania)



Presentamos un enfoque procesual de los pensamientos sobre los que se ha construido la Modernidad... more Presentamos un enfoque procesual de los pensamientos sobre los que se ha construido la Modernidad, a la luz del contexto histórico-cultural que los crea y crean. Este proyecto, levantado sobre dos fuerzas de empuje en conflicto, tras siglos de desarrollo se ha colapsado. Se hace necesario, pues, que la modernidad despliegue su heroicidad y se auto-regenere. Para ello, debe partir de sus mejores cualidades: el discernimiento crítico, la reflexión y el dialogo racional.



En primer lugar, este trabajo presenta una revisión del concepto de Paisaje en las Ciencias Socia... more En primer lugar, este trabajo presenta una revisión del concepto de Paisaje en las Ciencias Sociales. Seguidamente, nos centramos en los principales ámbitos de estudio de la Arqueología del paisaje y en sus particulares fundamentos teórico-metodológicos. Como resultado de esta combinación de enfoques enfrentados, el Paisaje se ha convertido en un campo de estudio donde se integran las variadas dimensiones del pasado.


Las preguntas filosóficas de la Arqueología han sido respondidas de forma muy diferente por el pr... more Las preguntas filosóficas de la Arqueología han sido respondidas de forma muy diferente por el procesualismo y el
postprocesualismo. Para ello, ambas escuelas se apoyan en sistemas filosóficos enfrentados entre los que no existe
dialogo. Esta falta de comunicación ha terminado por generar una gran dispersión e inestabilidad epistemológica en
el seno de la Arqueología. Así, en este artículo proponemos una construcción participativa y transdisciplinar del Saber
arqueológico.
The current theoretical crisis in Archaeology is caused by the conflict that exists between the philosophical systems of
both archeological approaches processualism and postprocessualism. In this paper is proposed a participatory and
transdisciplinary construction of the Archaeological knowledge in order to establish the foundations of an alternative
theoretical paradigm.´

PLoS ONE, 2013

Recent excavations in Level 4 at BK (Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania) have yielded nine hominin t... more Recent excavations in Level 4 at BK (Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania) have yielded nine hominin teeth, a distal humerus fragment, a proximal radius with much of its shaft, a femur shaft, and a tibia shaft fragment (cataloged collectively as OH 80). Those elements identified more specifically than to simply Hominidae gen. et sp. indet are attributed to Paranthropus boisei. Before this study, incontrovertible P. boisei partial skeletons, for which postcranial remains occurred in association with taxonomically diagnostic craniodental remains, were unknown. Thus, OH 80 stands as the first unambiguous, dentally associated Paranthropus partial skeleton from East Africa. The morphology and size of its constituent parts suggest that the fossils derived from an extremely robust individual who, at 1.33860.024 Ma (1 sigma), represents one of the most recent occurrences of Paranthropus before its extinction in East Africa.

Journal of African Archaeology, 2009

ABSTRACT Recent re-excavation of Mumba Rockshelter unearthed an unbiased lithic sample from Bed V... more ABSTRACT Recent re-excavation of Mumba Rockshelter unearthed an unbiased lithic sample from Bed V. Technological analysis has permitted a reinterpretation of the so-called Mumba Industry, a transitional industry between Middle and Later Stone Ages originally defined by Mehlman (1989). Our data confirm Mehlman’s observation that the “evolutionary” markers in Mumba Bed V are basically typological. However, our study differs from his in that we classify all of Bed V as LSA based on the combined analyses of typology and technology in our excavated assemblage. From a technological perspective, no changes have been observed throughout the sequence, and continuity is the main technological characteristic of the series. The only transitional marker from Lower through Upper Bed V is the appearance of the geometric crescent in the latter, taking into account that microliths exist throughout the sequence. This evidence casts some doubts on previous interpretations and underscores the need to recover a larger sample using modern excavation techniques. It also stresses the need to define the MSA/LSA transition in better terms, combining techno-typological criteria.

Quaternary International, 2014

Recent excavations at the SHK Main Site, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, have unearthed a dense concentr... more Recent excavations at the SHK Main Site, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, have unearthed a dense concentration of stone tools and faunal remains. Here, we describe how the site contributes to the understanding of hominin subsistence strategies and paleoecology during Bed II times (1.78e1.34 Ma). This palimpsestic site is located within, and on the over-bank of, a river channel. Taphonomic analyses suggest that a heterogeneous set of taphonomic agents played a role in the accumulation and modification of the faunal assemblage. Although hominins played a rather marginal part in this assemblage's faunal accumulation and modification, the recovered faunal assemblage includes evidence that is consistent with hominin exploitation of hippopotamus and equid. This evidence underscores the possibility that by 1.5 Ma hominins were diversifying their diet and enlarging their ecological niche by exploiting, probably opportunistically, megafaunal remains more commonly than previously documented. Taphonomic spatial analysis shows differences in bone preservation and modification according to whether faunal specimens were located inside the river channel or on its over-bank. We also show that spatial taphonomic analysis can contribute to the understanding of palimpsest-site formation, as well as to the reconstruction of diverse taphonomic agents responsible for that formation. A comparative analysis of taxonomic diversity between SHK versus other upper Bed II sites supports the notion that the environment was fairly open prior to the beginning of the Bed III deposits. The large number of lithic artifacts concentrated at the SHK Main Site, when considered in conjunction with the small amount of evidence for carcass-processing, suggests that hominins engaged in a diversity of activities beyond butchery.

Quaternary …, 2010

FLK North is one of the densest concentrations of fossils found in Olduvai Gorge. A recent taphon... more FLK North is one of the densest concentrations of fossils found in Olduvai Gorge. A recent taphonomic reevaluation of the collection excavated by Leakey at the site suggests that it was a palimpsest in which most of the animals were accumulated and modified by carnivores. The lithic tools therefore seem to have an independent depositional history from most of the fauna. The present study, based on new excavations, expands the evidence supporting this interpretation and demonstrates a thicker deposit than was reported by Leakey, including new archaeological levels. It also shows that in the few instances where hominins butchered carcasses, meat, not marrow, was their main target. This argues against passive scavenging hypotheses, which emphasize the dietary role of marrow, and instead underscores the importance of meat in the diet of early Pleistocene hominins.


2013 by Policarpo Sánchez

Quaternary International, 2013

Recent excavations at the SHK Main Site, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, have unearthed a dense concentr... more Recent excavations at the SHK Main Site, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, have unearthed a dense concentration of stone tools and faunal remains. Here, we describe how the site contributes to the understanding of hominin subsistence strategies and paleoecology during Bed II times (1.78–1.34 Ma). This palimpsestic site is located within, and on the over-bank of, a river channel. Taphonomic analyses suggest that a heterogeneous set of taphonomic agents played a role in the accumulation and modification of the faunal assemblage. Although hominins played a rather marginal part in this assemblage's faunal accumulation and modification, the recovered faunal assemblage includes evidence that is consistent with hominin exploitation of hippopotamus and equid. This evidence underscores the possibility that by 1.5 Ma hominins were diversifying their diet and enlarging their ecological niche by exploiting, probably opportunistically, megafaunal remains more commonly than previously documented. Taphonomic spatial analysis shows differences in bone preservation and modification according to whether faunal specimens were located inside the river channel or on its over-bank. We also show that spatial taphonomic analysis can contribute to the understanding of palimpsest-site formation, as well as to the reconstruction of diverse taphonomic agents responsible for that formation. A comparative analysis of taxonomic diversity between SHK versus other upper Bed II sites supports the notion that the environment was fairly open prior to the beginning of the Bed III deposits. The large number of lithic artifacts concentrated at the SHK Main Site, when considered in conjunction with the small amount of evidence for carcass-processing, suggests that hominins engaged in a diversity of activities beyond butchery.

Plos One, 2017

The Acheulean materials documented in FLK West dated c. 1.7 Ma. are the focus of the present work... more The Acheulean materials documented in FLK West dated c. 1.7 Ma. are the focus of the present work. An original techno-functional approach is applied here to analyze the origin of Acheulean tools. According to the results, these tools were employed in different functional contexts in which tasks of different durations that transformed resources with different resistances were carried out. The exploitation of large and resistant resources suggests that the economic mechanism governing the manufacture of these tools was an increase in the demand of the work load. The decision processes underlying the production of these tools have thus an evident functional motivation. However, the presence of a refined handaxe in the studied sample indicates that the design form and production principles of handaxe manufacture were the result of an abrupt emergence rather than a long gradual development. The integration of mechanical and ergonomic investigation in our research has been crucial to explain how a core-and-flake industry gave way to a technology based on the production of large and heavy shaped tools.

Taphonomic analysis carried out at BK4b has provided compelling evidence for megafaunal acquisiti... more Taphonomic analysis carried out at BK4b has provided compelling evidence for megafaunal acquisition and consumption , and the amount of meat that hominins consumed is far greater than documented at any other early Pleistocene site. The aim of the present work is to characterize the lithic assemblage associated with such a special subsistence context. The results presented here show that the bulk of the technological process was largely devoted to producing in-site small quartz flakes motivated by an imperative demand for durable cutting edges. Conversely, the operational sequence aimed at producing LCTs played a secondary role and is represented by different and isolated fractions. The quality of the cutting edges of quartz flakes may explain the preferential use of quartz at BK4b for flake production. These techno-economic strategies are likely connected with the exploitation and consumption of carcasses (butchering technology), but other subsistence activities were carried out besides butchery. In sum, we can conclude that the higher demand of cutting edges that presumably required a recurrent megafaunal exploitation at BK4b was largely satisfied by the production of small flakes rather than LCTs.

The appearance of the Acheulean is one of the hallmarks of human evolution. It represents the em... more The appearance of the Acheulean is one of the hallmarks of human evolution. It represents the
emergence of a complex behavior, expressed in the recurrent manufacture of large-sized tools, with
standardized forms, implying more advance forethought and planning by hominins than those required
by the precedent Oldowan technology. The earliest known evidence of this technology dates back
to c. 1.7Ma. and is limited to two sites (Kokiselei [Kenya] and Konso [Ethiopia]), both of which lack
functionally-associated fauna. The functionality of these earliest Acheulean assemblages remains
unknown. Here we present the discovery of another early Acheulean site also dating to c. 1.7Ma from
Olduvai Gorge. This site provides evidence of the earliest steps in developing the Acheulean technology
and is the oldest Acheulean site in which stone tools occur spatially and functionally associated with the
exploitation of fauna. Simple and elaborate large-cutting tools (LCT) and bifacial handaxes co-exist at
FLK West, showing that complex cognition was present from the earliest stages of the Acheulean. Here
we provide a detailed technological study and evidence of the use of these tools on the butchery and
consumption of fauna, probably by early Homo erectus sensu lato.

The Northwest of Iberia has yielded one of the most complete European Middle Paleolithic records.... more The Northwest of Iberia has yielded one of the most complete European Middle Paleolithic records. Despite this wealth of information, very little is known about population dynamics during this period. For that reason, the main concern of this paper is to provide socio-environmental models that may help explain Early Middle Paleolithic (EMP) population dynamics in NW Iberia, assessing to what extent they were shaped by climate forces. The archaeological record is analyzed on the basis of the heuristics of ecological models, already employed in the European Pleistocene record but never at a regional scale, in order to detect long-term changes in the composition of EMP populations, and the environmental, biological and sociocultural process influencing those changes. According to the models proposed, we have detected a long-term population dynamic between MIS 11 and MIS 6, characterized by low environmental stress, high biological productivity, interaction among populations and sociocultural complexity. Eventually, this population dynamic was broken due to an extreme climate phase in late MIS 6 that had a profound impact on populations and sociocultural structures. As a result, the Upper Pleistocene population of NW Iberia was concentrated in the Cantabrian region. This area became an isolated Neanderthal glacial refugium that hosted a population with different origins and fragile long-term demographic stability.

The present work explores the production and functional relationships that may exist between bipo... more The present work explores the production and functional relationships that may exist between bipolar cores and
spheroids in Olduvai Gorge. Percussion experiments have been conducted to determine: if the bipolar technique
is an adequate solution to split large and heavy quartz blocks into cuboid-shaped fragments, and inwhich percussion
activities those bipolar fragments are modified from cuboid to spherical shape. In light of the results
achieved, it can be concluded that: the bipolar technique is the most efficient technique to produce portable
and manageable cuboid-shaped slab fragments, and bipolar cuboid-shaped fragments can be modified to subspherical
shape through intensive percussive processes. The associations established between use patterns and
functional parameters have allowed us to suggest that food pounding is the most plausible functional context
for such shape modification.

Discriminación experimental de los rasgos técnicos en la talla bipolar y a mano alzada en lascas ... more Discriminación experimental de los rasgos técnicos en la talla bipolar y a mano alzada en lascas a través de los cuarzos de Naibor Soit (Garganta de Olduvai, Tanzania)



Presentamos un enfoque procesual de los pensamientos sobre los que se ha construido la Modernidad... more Presentamos un enfoque procesual de los pensamientos sobre los que se ha construido la Modernidad, a la luz del contexto histórico-cultural que los crea y crean. Este proyecto, levantado sobre dos fuerzas de empuje en conflicto, tras siglos de desarrollo se ha colapsado. Se hace necesario, pues, que la modernidad despliegue su heroicidad y se auto-regenere. Para ello, debe partir de sus mejores cualidades: el discernimiento crítico, la reflexión y el dialogo racional.



En primer lugar, este trabajo presenta una revisión del concepto de Paisaje en las Ciencias Socia... more En primer lugar, este trabajo presenta una revisión del concepto de Paisaje en las Ciencias Sociales. Seguidamente, nos centramos en los principales ámbitos de estudio de la Arqueología del paisaje y en sus particulares fundamentos teórico-metodológicos. Como resultado de esta combinación de enfoques enfrentados, el Paisaje se ha convertido en un campo de estudio donde se integran las variadas dimensiones del pasado.


Las preguntas filosóficas de la Arqueología han sido respondidas de forma muy diferente por el pr... more Las preguntas filosóficas de la Arqueología han sido respondidas de forma muy diferente por el procesualismo y el
postprocesualismo. Para ello, ambas escuelas se apoyan en sistemas filosóficos enfrentados entre los que no existe
dialogo. Esta falta de comunicación ha terminado por generar una gran dispersión e inestabilidad epistemológica en
el seno de la Arqueología. Así, en este artículo proponemos una construcción participativa y transdisciplinar del Saber
arqueológico.
The current theoretical crisis in Archaeology is caused by the conflict that exists between the philosophical systems of
both archeological approaches processualism and postprocessualism. In this paper is proposed a participatory and
transdisciplinary construction of the Archaeological knowledge in order to establish the foundations of an alternative
theoretical paradigm.´

PLoS ONE, 2013

Recent excavations in Level 4 at BK (Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania) have yielded nine hominin t... more Recent excavations in Level 4 at BK (Bed II, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania) have yielded nine hominin teeth, a distal humerus fragment, a proximal radius with much of its shaft, a femur shaft, and a tibia shaft fragment (cataloged collectively as OH 80). Those elements identified more specifically than to simply Hominidae gen. et sp. indet are attributed to Paranthropus boisei. Before this study, incontrovertible P. boisei partial skeletons, for which postcranial remains occurred in association with taxonomically diagnostic craniodental remains, were unknown. Thus, OH 80 stands as the first unambiguous, dentally associated Paranthropus partial skeleton from East Africa. The morphology and size of its constituent parts suggest that the fossils derived from an extremely robust individual who, at 1.33860.024 Ma (1 sigma), represents one of the most recent occurrences of Paranthropus before its extinction in East Africa.

Journal of African Archaeology, 2009

ABSTRACT Recent re-excavation of Mumba Rockshelter unearthed an unbiased lithic sample from Bed V... more ABSTRACT Recent re-excavation of Mumba Rockshelter unearthed an unbiased lithic sample from Bed V. Technological analysis has permitted a reinterpretation of the so-called Mumba Industry, a transitional industry between Middle and Later Stone Ages originally defined by Mehlman (1989). Our data confirm Mehlman’s observation that the “evolutionary” markers in Mumba Bed V are basically typological. However, our study differs from his in that we classify all of Bed V as LSA based on the combined analyses of typology and technology in our excavated assemblage. From a technological perspective, no changes have been observed throughout the sequence, and continuity is the main technological characteristic of the series. The only transitional marker from Lower through Upper Bed V is the appearance of the geometric crescent in the latter, taking into account that microliths exist throughout the sequence. This evidence casts some doubts on previous interpretations and underscores the need to recover a larger sample using modern excavation techniques. It also stresses the need to define the MSA/LSA transition in better terms, combining techno-typological criteria.

Quaternary International, 2014

Recent excavations at the SHK Main Site, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, have unearthed a dense concentr... more Recent excavations at the SHK Main Site, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, have unearthed a dense concentration of stone tools and faunal remains. Here, we describe how the site contributes to the understanding of hominin subsistence strategies and paleoecology during Bed II times (1.78e1.34 Ma). This palimpsestic site is located within, and on the over-bank of, a river channel. Taphonomic analyses suggest that a heterogeneous set of taphonomic agents played a role in the accumulation and modification of the faunal assemblage. Although hominins played a rather marginal part in this assemblage's faunal accumulation and modification, the recovered faunal assemblage includes evidence that is consistent with hominin exploitation of hippopotamus and equid. This evidence underscores the possibility that by 1.5 Ma hominins were diversifying their diet and enlarging their ecological niche by exploiting, probably opportunistically, megafaunal remains more commonly than previously documented. Taphonomic spatial analysis shows differences in bone preservation and modification according to whether faunal specimens were located inside the river channel or on its over-bank. We also show that spatial taphonomic analysis can contribute to the understanding of palimpsest-site formation, as well as to the reconstruction of diverse taphonomic agents responsible for that formation. A comparative analysis of taxonomic diversity between SHK versus other upper Bed II sites supports the notion that the environment was fairly open prior to the beginning of the Bed III deposits. The large number of lithic artifacts concentrated at the SHK Main Site, when considered in conjunction with the small amount of evidence for carcass-processing, suggests that hominins engaged in a diversity of activities beyond butchery.

Quaternary …, 2010

FLK North is one of the densest concentrations of fossils found in Olduvai Gorge. A recent taphon... more FLK North is one of the densest concentrations of fossils found in Olduvai Gorge. A recent taphonomic reevaluation of the collection excavated by Leakey at the site suggests that it was a palimpsest in which most of the animals were accumulated and modified by carnivores. The lithic tools therefore seem to have an independent depositional history from most of the fauna. The present study, based on new excavations, expands the evidence supporting this interpretation and demonstrates a thicker deposit than was reported by Leakey, including new archaeological levels. It also shows that in the few instances where hominins butchered carcasses, meat, not marrow, was their main target. This argues against passive scavenging hypotheses, which emphasize the dietary role of marrow, and instead underscores the importance of meat in the diet of early Pleistocene hominins.


Quaternary International, 2013

Recent excavations at the SHK Main Site, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, have unearthed a dense concentr... more Recent excavations at the SHK Main Site, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, have unearthed a dense concentration of stone tools and faunal remains. Here, we describe how the site contributes to the understanding of hominin subsistence strategies and paleoecology during Bed II times (1.78–1.34 Ma). This palimpsestic site is located within, and on the over-bank of, a river channel. Taphonomic analyses suggest that a heterogeneous set of taphonomic agents played a role in the accumulation and modification of the faunal assemblage. Although hominins played a rather marginal part in this assemblage's faunal accumulation and modification, the recovered faunal assemblage includes evidence that is consistent with hominin exploitation of hippopotamus and equid. This evidence underscores the possibility that by 1.5 Ma hominins were diversifying their diet and enlarging their ecological niche by exploiting, probably opportunistically, megafaunal remains more commonly than previously documented. Taphonomic spatial analysis shows differences in bone preservation and modification according to whether faunal specimens were located inside the river channel or on its over-bank. We also show that spatial taphonomic analysis can contribute to the understanding of palimpsest-site formation, as well as to the reconstruction of diverse taphonomic agents responsible for that formation. A comparative analysis of taxonomic diversity between SHK versus other upper Bed II sites supports the notion that the environment was fairly open prior to the beginning of the Bed III deposits. The large number of lithic artifacts concentrated at the SHK Main Site, when considered in conjunction with the small amount of evidence for carcass-processing, suggests that hominins engaged in a diversity of activities beyond butchery.