Archeology in “stone line” sedimentary environments. A methodological approach and results based on the Early and Middle Pleistocene sites at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash, Ethiopia)

Sites in sedimentary cobble-bed environments, which are quite common in African Pleistocene sites, are routinely reported as extensively affected by sedimentary processes. The Gombore II and Garba I sites (Melka Kunture, Ethiopia), both in a cobble-bed setting, allow a different approach. Using archive data from previous excavations and new field observations, we analyzed size ranges, orientation, sedimentary fabrics, and spatial distribution patterns at both sites as well as in a nearby present-day stream deposit, to make comparisons and assess any similarity in sedimentary setting. The results suggest that Gombore II and Garba I have been subjected to a low degree of sedimentary disturbance, without severe taphonomic effects on the archeological assemblages.