- Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Alison Brooks
The George Washington University, Anthropology, Faculty Member
Research Interests: Geography and Pleistocene
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The ubiquity and durability of lithic artifacts inform archaeologists about important dimensions of human behavioral variability. Despite their importance, lithic artifacts can be problematic to study because lithic analysts differ widely... more
The ubiquity and durability of lithic artifacts inform archaeologists about important dimensions of human behavioral variability. Despite their importance, lithic artifacts can be problematic to study because lithic analysts differ widely in their theoretical approaches and the data they collect. The extent to which differences in lithic data relate to prehistoric behavioral variability or differences between archaeologists today remains incompletely known. We address this issue with the most extensive lithic replicability study yet, involving 11 analysts, 100 unmodified flakes, and 38 ratio, discrete, and nominal attributes. We use mixture models to show strong inter-analyst replicability scores on several attributes, making them well suited to comparative lithic analyses. Based on our results, we highlight 17 attributes that we consider reliable for compiling datasets collected by different individuals for comparative studies. Demonstrating this replicability is a crucial first st...
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Symbolic culture is a realm of patently false signals. From a Darwinian standpoint, it is not easy to explain how strategies of reliance on such signals could have become evolutionarily stable. The archaeological record shows evolving... more
Symbolic culture is a realm of patently false signals. From a Darwinian standpoint, it is not easy to explain how strategies of reliance on such signals could have become evolutionarily stable. The archaeological record shows evolving modern humans investing heavily in cosmetics, with a particular emphasis on ochre pigments matching the colour of blood. This chapter discusses the Female Cosmetic Coalitions model of the origins of symbolic culture in the context of hypotheses sometimes considered to be alternative explanations. It is shown that these various hypotheses are not genuine alternatives. Many are not Darwinian, while others either fail to address the question of symbolism or address it but make no reference to details of the archaeological record. It is concluded that the Female Cosmetic Coalitions model offers the most testable and parsimonious way of integrating these different perspectives. ‘Symbolic culture....requires the invention of a whole new kind of things, thing...
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This article characterizes Later Stone Age quartz industries from several sites in the rainforests and woodland-savanna mosaics of the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with an emphasis on various reduction strategies that... more
This article characterizes Later Stone Age quartz industries from several sites in the rainforests and woodland-savanna mosaics of the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with an emphasis on various reduction strategies that include simple debitage, bipolar ...
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Geography, African Studies, Archaeology, Anthropology, and 15 moreHuman Evolution, Education, Africa, Evolutionary Anthropology, Lithic Technology, Lithics, Medicine, Evolution and Human Behavior, Humans, Animals, Lithic Analysis, Middle Stone Age, Comparative Analysis, Hominidae, and Lithic Replication Studies
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Development of the African Middle Stone Age (MSA) before 300 thousand years ago (ka) raises the question of how environmental change influenced the evolution of behaviors characteristic of earlyWe use temporally well-constrained... more
Development of the African Middle Stone Age (MSA) before 300 thousand years ago (ka) raises the question of how environmental change influenced the evolution of behaviors characteristic of earlyWe use temporally well-constrained sedimentological and paleoenvironmental data to investigate environmental dynamics before and after the appearance of the early MSA in the Olorgesailie Basin, Kenya. In contrast to the Acheulean archeological record in the same basin, MSA sites are associated with a dramatically different faunal community, more pronounced erosion-deposition cycles, tectonic activity, and enhanced wet-dry variability. As early as 615 ka, aspects of Acheulean technology in this region imply that greater stone material selectivity and wider resource procurement coincided with an increased pace of land-lake fluctuation, potentially anticipating the adaptability of MSA hominins.
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Previous research suggests that the complex symbolic, technological, and socio-economic behaviors that typifyhad roots in the middle Pleistocene <200 ka, but data bearing on human behavioral origins are limited. We present a series of... more
Previous research suggests that the complex symbolic, technological, and socio-economic behaviors that typifyhad roots in the middle Pleistocene <200 ka, but data bearing on human behavioral origins are limited. We present a series of excavated Middle Stone Age sites from the Olorgesailie Basin, southern Kenya, dated ≥295 to ~320 ka byAr/Ar and U-Series methods. Hominins at these sites made prepared cores and points, exploited iron-rich rocks to obtain red pigment, and procured stone tool materials from ≥25-50 km distance. Associated fauna suggests a broad resource strategy that included large and small prey. These practices imply significant changes in how individuals and groups related to the landscape and one another, and provide documentation relevant to human social and cognitive evolution.
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The origin of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) denotes the transition from a highly persistent mode of stone toolmaking, the Acheulean, to a period of increasing technological innovation and cultural indicators associated with the evolution... more
The origin of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) denotes the transition from a highly persistent mode of stone toolmaking, the Acheulean, to a period of increasing technological innovation and cultural indicators associated with the evolution ofHere we useAr/Ar and U-series dating to calibrate the chronology of Acheulean- and early MSA-rich sedimentary deposits in the Olorgesailie Basin, South Kenya Rift. We establish the age of late Acheulean tool assemblages from 615 to 499 ka, after which a large technological and faunal transition occurred, with definitive MSA lacking Acheulean elements beginning most likely by ~320 ka, but at least by 305 ka. These results establish the currently oldest repository of MSA in eastern Africa.
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... John E. Yellen is Director of the Department of Anthropological Research of the National Science Foundation, Washington DC Alison S. Brooks ... Because of its &#x27;microlithic&#x27; size and the presence of numerous... more
... John E. Yellen is Director of the Department of Anthropological Research of the National Science Foundation, Washington DC Alison S. Brooks ... Because of its &#x27;microlithic&#x27; size and the presence of numerous crescents, the label of &#x27;Wilton&#x27; may be applied to it although the utility of ...
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One of the most important challenges in anthropology is understanding the disappearance of Neanderthals. Previous research suggests that Neanderthals had a narrower diet than early modern humans, in part because they lacked various social... more
One of the most important challenges in anthropology is understanding the disappearance of Neanderthals. Previous research suggests that Neanderthals had a narrower diet than early modern humans, in part because they lacked various social and technological advances that lead to greater dietary variety, such as a sexual division of labor and the use of complex projectile weapons. The wider diet of early modern humans would have provided more calories and nutrients, increasing fertility, decreasing mortality and supporting large population sizes, allowing them to out-compete Neanderthals. However, this model for Neanderthal dietary behavior is based on analysis of animal remains, stable isotopes, and other methods that provide evidence only of animal food in the diet. This model does not take into account the potential role of plant food. Here we present results from the first broad comparison of plant foods in the diets of Neanderthals and early modern humans from several populations in Europe, the Near East, and Africa. Our data comes from the analysis of plant microremains (starch grains and phytoliths) in dental calculus and on stone tools. Our results suggest that both species consumed a similarly wide array of plant foods, including foods that are often considered low-ranked, like underground storage organs and grass seeds. Plants were consumed across the entire range of individuals and sites we examined, and none of the expected predictors of variation (species, geographic region, or associated stone tool technology) had a strong influence on the number of plant species consumed. Our data suggest that Neanderthal dietary ecology was more complex than previously thought. This implies that the relationship between Neanderthal technology, social behavior, and food acquisition strategies must be better explored.
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ABSTRACT In this study, we compared the effectiveness of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of bulk ochre to laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry of homogenized ochre chips (HOC LA–ICPMS) at... more
ABSTRACT In this study, we compared the effectiveness of instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) of bulk ochre to laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry of homogenized ochre chips (HOC LA–ICPMS) at distinguishing among three ochre sources in northern Malawi. Both techniques upheld the Provenance Postulate; however, HOC LA–ICPMS required less sample material than INAA and facilitated fast, inexpensive replicate observations that allowed for more robust statistical analysis. Our results indicated that HOC LA–ICPMS is a maturing technique that will be a valuable option for analysing artefacts that require minimally destructive sampling but are too large to fit into the laser cell for direct ablation. With regard to the statistical procedures used, stepwise canonical discriminant analysis was demonstrated to be a highly effective method for distinguishing among ochre sources, even in the presence of significant intra-source and intra-sample heterogeneity. Continued development of the HOC sample preparation technique will expand the range of archaeological ochre artefacts that can be included in provenance studies and prevent bias towards artefacts of convenient-to-analyse dimensions.
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... Brooks, Alison S., Aron L. Crowell and John E. Yellen (1977) &amp;quot;¿Gì: A Stone Age Archaeological Site in the Northern Kalahari Desert, Botswana.&amp;quot; Paper presented at the 8th Pan-African Congress of Prehistory and... more
... Brooks, Alison S., Aron L. Crowell and John E. Yellen (1977) &amp;quot;¿Gì: A Stone Age Archaeological Site in the Northern Kalahari Desert, Botswana.&amp;quot; Paper presented at the 8th Pan-African Congress of Prehistory and Quaternary Studies: Nairobi, September 9,1977. ...
Three archaeological sites at Katanda on the Upper Semliki River in the Western Rift Valley of Zaire have provided evidence for a well-developed bone industry in a Middle Stone Age context. Artifacts include both barbed and unbarbed... more
Three archaeological sites at Katanda on the Upper Semliki River in the Western Rift Valley of Zaire have provided evidence for a well-developed bone industry in a Middle Stone Age context. Artifacts include both barbed and unbarbed points as well as a daggerlike object. Dating by both direct and indirect means indicate an age of approximately 90,000 years or older. Together with abundant fish (primarily catfish) remains, the bone technology indicates that a complex subsistence specialization had developed in Africa by this time. The level of behavioral competence required is consistent with that of upper Paleolithic Homo sapiens sapiens. These data support an African origin of behaviorally as well as biologically modern humans.
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The extent to which the earliest anatomically modern humans in Africa exhibited behavioral and cognitive traits typical of Homo sapiens sapiens is controversial. In eastern Zaire, archaeological sites with bone points have yielded dates... more
The extent to which the earliest anatomically modern humans in Africa exhibited behavioral and cognitive traits typical of Homo sapiens sapiens is controversial. In eastern Zaire, archaeological sites with bone points have yielded dates older than 89(-15)+22 thousand years ago by several techniques. These include electron spin resonance, thermoluminescence, optically stimulated luminescence, uranium series, and amino acid racemization. Faunal and stratigraphic data are consistent with this age.
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The workshop "Comparative Analysis of Middle Stone Age Artefacts in Africa (CoMSAfrica)" aimed to reflect upon a common and replicable analytical framework, as well as proposing concrete solutions for its implementation. It builds on... more
The workshop "Comparative Analysis of Middle Stone Age Artefacts in Africa (CoMSAfrica)" aimed to reflect upon a common and replicable analytical framework, as well as proposing concrete solutions for its implementation. It builds on previous efforts to standardize pan-African comparisons which focused on higher taxonomic entities, specific categories of stone artifacts, or individual regions. Organized by C. Tryon and M. Will, the workshop brought together 12 international scholars (see author list) working in different periods and regions of Africa, with varied methodological backgrounds.
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The workshop “Comparative Analysis of Middle Stone Age Artefacts in Africa (CoMSAfrica)” aimed to reflect upon a common and replicable analytical framework, as well as proposing concrete solutions for its implementation. It builds on... more
The workshop “Comparative Analysis of Middle Stone Age Artefacts
in Africa (CoMSAfrica)” aimed to reflect upon a common and replicable analytical framework, as well as proposing concrete solutions for
its implementation. It builds on previous efforts to standardize panAfrican comparisons which focused on higher taxonomic entities specific categories of stone artifacts, or individual regions. Organized
by C. Tryon and M. Will, the workshop brought together 12 international
scholars (see author list) working in different periods and regions of
Africa, with varied methodological backgrounds. The workshop was held
between November 5th and 6th 2018 at Harvard University (USA),
and funded through the Accelerator Workshop Program of the
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (https://projects.iq.harvard.
edu/comsafrica). The meeting included short introductory presentations
by all participants followed by a series of more focused roundtable discussions to define the main problems and issues confronting comparative lithic analyses of African MSA assemblages. The final goal was the development of a unified analytical approach. As a two-day workshop was obviously insufficient to solve problems of such magnitude, the final discussion focused on outlining a working model and roadmap for future meetings and collaborations through the CoMSAfrica network.
in Africa (CoMSAfrica)” aimed to reflect upon a common and replicable analytical framework, as well as proposing concrete solutions for
its implementation. It builds on previous efforts to standardize panAfrican comparisons which focused on higher taxonomic entities specific categories of stone artifacts, or individual regions. Organized
by C. Tryon and M. Will, the workshop brought together 12 international
scholars (see author list) working in different periods and regions of
Africa, with varied methodological backgrounds. The workshop was held
between November 5th and 6th 2018 at Harvard University (USA),
and funded through the Accelerator Workshop Program of the
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study (https://projects.iq.harvard.
edu/comsafrica). The meeting included short introductory presentations
by all participants followed by a series of more focused roundtable discussions to define the main problems and issues confronting comparative lithic analyses of African MSA assemblages. The final goal was the development of a unified analytical approach. As a two-day workshop was obviously insufficient to solve problems of such magnitude, the final discussion focused on outlining a working model and roadmap for future meetings and collaborations through the CoMSAfrica network.