Early Acheulean technology at Es2-Lepolosi (ancient MHS-Bayasi) in Peninj (Lake Natron, Tanzania)

The aim of this paper is to undertake the technological description of ES2-Lepolosi, one of the Acheulean sites located on the Sambu Escarpment in the Lake Natron Basin (Tanzania) and dated to 1.5-1.4 Ma. Through the combination of three different lithic collections (Glynn Isaac's 1961-81, Domínguez-Rodrigo's 1999-2002 and the sample retrieved during our own excavations carried out between 2007 and 2011), we provide here a comprehensive description of the technological characteristics seen in this classic African Early Acheulean site. Sedimentological, archaeostratigraphic, and soil micromorphological information, acquired during the course of the 2008-2011 fieldwork, is used as a contextual framework for assessing the environmental and post-depositional history of the site.