Lomekwi

Lomekwi

Lomekwi is near the west bank of Lake Turkana, which is pictured in green on this satellite image.
Approximate location of dig site Shown within Kenya
Alternative name	LOM3
Location	Turkana County, Kenya
Region	Rift Valley Province
Coordinates	3°52′27″N 35°45′3″E / 3.87417°N 35.75083°E / 3.87417; 35.75083
Type	Ancient campsite
History
Periods	3.3 million years ago
Cultures	Australopithecus or Kenyanthropus
Site notes
Excavation dates	2011 (2011)–present
Archaeologists	Sonia Harmand, Stony Brook University, US
Public access	Limited

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Lomekwi is an archaeological site located on the west bank of Turkana Lake in Kenya. It is an important milestone in the history of human archaeology. An archaeological team from Stony Brook University in the United States discovered traces of Lomekwi by chance in July 2011, and made substantial progress four years after in-depth excavations.

Artifacts excavated from Lomekwi date back to 3.3 million years ago, completely overturning the history of human use and tool making and advancing it by about 500,000 years. Its appearance, the most conspicuous among these cultural relics is a large stone tool with obvious traces of human processing. It looks like a cutting board, but its exact purpose is not clear yet.

The artifacts from Lomekwi have a unique production method and are an independent production style. The archaeological team calls it Lomekwian. These tools, which are not highly processed, completely distinguish Australopithecus from other primates, and it is highly likely that ancient humans already had basic cognitive abilities.