摘要
We present an ecologically derived model of the distribution of potential resources probably available to hominids among the landscapes that are, following Hay (1976), postulated to exist in the Olduvai Basin during lowermost Bed II times. On the basis of preliminary surveys of the resource structure of modern East African saline lake basins, the differential availability across the Olduvai Basin of potable water, fruit and edible rootstocks, refuge trees, scavengeable carcasses and stone/wood for tool manufacture, are hypothesized for a riparian corridor and stream-mouth dominated land system at two climate extremes. At both climate extremes, the stream-traversed Piedmont Alluvial Plain and slopes of the Crater Highlands to the east of the lake apparently would have provided the greatest availability and diversity of essential resources. In contrast, the Eastern Lacustrine Plain, to which current in situ archaeological evidence for hominid activities is restricted, was probably not as rich in resources. The resource distribution model suggests that hominid activities were concentrated in landscapes that have not been intensively studied. One of these, the Piedmont Alluvial Plain, is partially preserved in the geological record, and is predicted to contain a strong land use signature despite having experienced reworking of materials. This and other predictions of the model are amenable to testing through the landscape archaeological research being conducted on lowermost Bed II deposits, which also have a bearing on understanding the different land use strategies of contemporaneous hominid taxa.