Lomekwi
Kenya

Lomekwi

Stone tool site on Lake Turkana, Kenya

Location

Explore the Map

Historical Context

About

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.

Paleolithic
Mesolithic
Neolithic
Chalcolithic
Bronze Age
Iron Age
Classical Period
Post-Classical Period
Early Modern Period
Industrial Period
Contemporary Period
Visual Archive

Gallery

Explore photographs of ancient structures, artifacts, and archaeological excavations

FileLake_turkana_satellite.jpg
Temporal Epochs

Historical Timeline

Journey through time and discover key events in this site's history

Gona comparison

2.6 million years ago

Tools dated

3.3 million years ago

Conference presentation

April 14, 2015

Journal publication

May 21, 2015

Chance discovery

July 2011

Classification

Archaeological Features

Unique architectural and cultural elements found at this historical site

category

Industrial and Craft Structures

Toolmakers’ Areas
category

Environmental and Natural Features

Soil Layers
Knowledge Base

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore

Plan Your Visit

Tours, travel arrangements, and practical information

Reference

Details

Country

Kenya

Coordinates

3.87° N, 35.75° E