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Interaction and Exchange Across the Transition to Pastoralism, Lake Turkana, Kenya

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Abstract

Artifacts from the Galana Boi Formation in Kenya present a rare view of the dynamics of ancient lifestyles. Archeological materials include evidence of hunter-gatherer and fishing economies, and the beginnings of the earliest pastoralism in Kenya. Through the use of X-ray fluorescence analysis for sourcing of obsidian artifacts, we present theories of social networks, mobility, and exchange that may ultimately shed light on the nature of pastoralism’s introduction to East Africa.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Professor John W. K. (Jack) Harris for all his assistance and support during the completion of this project. We would also like to acknowledge the Koobi Fora Field School, Rutgers University, the National Museums of Kenya, Professor M. Steven Shackley, and the Archaeological XRF Laboratory at U.C. Berkeley. Funding was provided by the William Hallum Tuck Fund, Princeton University.

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Correspondence to Carolyn D. Dillian .

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Ndiema, E., Dillian, C.D., Braun, D.R. (2010). Interaction and Exchange Across the Transition to Pastoralism, Lake Turkana, Kenya. In: Dillian, C., White, C. (eds) Trade and Exchange. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1072-1_6

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