The role of coastal regions and coastlines in the dispersal of human populations from Africa and across the globe has been highlighted by the recent polarisation between coastal and interior models. ...The debate has been clouded by the use of the single term ‘coastal dispersal’ to embrace what is in fact a wide spectrum of possibilities, ranging from seafaring populations who spend most of their time at sea living off marine resources, to land-based populations in coastal regions with little or no reliance on marine foods. An additional complicating factor is the fact of Pleistocene and early Holocene sea-level change, which exposed an extensive coastal region that is now submerged, and may have afforded very different conditions from the modern coastal environment.
We examine these factors in the Arabian context and use the term ‘Blue’ to draw attention to the fertile coastal rim of the Arabian Peninsula, and to the now submerged offshore landscape, which is especially extensive in some regions. We further emphasise that the attractions of the coastal rim are a product of two quite different factors, ecological diversity and abundant water on land, which have created persistently ‘Green’ conditions throughout the vagaries of Pleistocene climate change in some coastal regions, especially along parts of the western Arabian escarpment, and potentially productive marine environments around its coastline, which include some of the most fertile in the world.
We examine the interplay of these factors in the Southwest region of Saudi Arabia and the southern Red Sea, and summarise some of the results of recent DISPERSE field investigations, including survey for Palaeolithic sites on the mainland, and underwater survey of the continental shelf in the vicinity of the Farasan Islands.
We conclude that coastlines are neither uniformly attractive nor uniformly marginal to human dispersal, that they offer diverse opportunities that were spatially and temporally variable at scales from the local to the continental, and that investigating Blue Arabia in relation to its episodically Green interior is a key factor in the fuller understanding of long-term human population dynamics within Arabia and their global implications.
This paper documents the abundance of Stone Age finds in the Middle Kalahari, both through earlier publications and newly documented sites. Results of several decades of Stone Age research are ...presented through a variety of projects and placed within the context of previous archaeological investigations in the region. We argue for the importance of open-air sites in constructing a more representative picture of prehistoric behaviour in the interior of southern Africa.
•Presentation of abundant Stone Age finds from Middle Kalahari - overview of earlier publications and newly documented sites.•The Kalahari of northern Botswana illustrates the potential of this under-researched area.•Results of decades of research from a variety of projects are placed in context with previous archaeological investigations.•Demonstrates the time depth and landscape variety of the prehistory in this region.•Emphasis on the role of open-air sites in reconstructing prehistoric behaviours in the interior of southern Africa.
La province de l’Ogooué-maritime est véritablement connue du domaine de l’archéologie dès les années 1980 par les chercheurs du LANA, sous l’impulsion de Lazare Digombé, Michel Locko et leur (s) ...équipe (s). Un peu plus de 30 ans après, les premières missions de recherches, des ramassages de surface non loin de la centrale de traitement des hydrocarbures de la société Perenco, Batanga centrale 2 ont livré la documentation archéologique retenue pour ce travail. Cette étude technologique a permis de déterminer une chaîne opératoire adaptée à la production d’éclats à partir de plaquettes de silex roulées et de rares galets ovoïdes. Le débitage est essentiellement représenté avec différents schémas opératoires (unipolaire, bipolaire et centripète). L’analyse des nucléus atteste d’un caractère particulièrement déterminant pour les processus de débitage en raison de la morphologie, de la texture et des modules des blocs. L’étude typologique signale une forte présence d’éclats corticaux ou non, de petites dimensions, assez larges et assez épais, de nucléus et de blocs ayant rarement servi de percuteurs. Les éclats en présence semblent caractériser les objectifs du débitage. Aucun outil typologiquement identifiable n’a été relevé. La céramique est attestée par quelques tessons également récoltés en surface. Des éléments liés à l’alimentation ont également pu être approchés par quelques restes de coquilles probablement des huîtres. Au regard des objets en présence, ce site peut être attribué à la fin du Late Stone Age.
The province of Ogooué-Maritime has been known to the field of archaeology since the 1980s by LANA researchers, under the impetus of Lazare Digombé, Michel Locko and their team(s). A little more than 30 years after the first research missions, surface collections not far from the Perenco company's hydrocarbon processing plant, Batanga Centrale 2, provided the archaeological documentation selected for this work. This technological study made it possible to determine a chain of operations adapted to the production of flakes from rolled flint plates and rare ovoid pebbles. The debitage is essentially represented with different operating schemes (unipolar, bipolar and centripetal). The analysis of the nuclei shows that the morphology, texture and moduli of the blocks are particularly decisive for the debitage processes. The typological study indicates a strong presence of cortical or non-cortical flakes, of small dimensions, fairly wide and fairly thick, of nuclei and of blocks that were rarely used as strikers. The flakes present seem to characterise the objectives of the debitage. No typologically identifiable tools were found. Ceramics are attested by a few shards also collected on the surface. Elements related to food could also be approached by some remains of shells, probably oysters. In view of the objects present, this site can be attributed to the Late Stone Age.
The Halibee member of the Upper Dawaitoli Formation of Ethiopia's Middle Awash study area features a wealth of Middle and Later Stone Age (MSA and LSA) paleoanthropological resources in a succession ...of Pleistocene sediments. We introduce these artifacts and fossils, and determine their chronostratigraphic placement via a combination of established radioisotopic methods and a recently developed dating method applied to ostrich eggshell (OES). We apply the recently developed
Th/U burial dating of OES to bridge the temporal gap between radiocarbon (
C) and
Ar/
Ar ages for the MSA and provide
C ages to constrain the younger LSA archaeology and fauna to ∼24 to 21.4 ka. Paired
C and
Th/U burial ages of OES agree at ∼31 ka for an older LSA locality, validating the newer method, and in turn supporting its application to stratigraphically underlying MSA occurrences previously constrained only by a maximum
Ar/
Ar age. Associated fauna, flora, and
fossils are thereby now fixed between 106 ± 20 ka and 96.4 ± 1.6 ka (all errors 2σ). Additional
Ar/
results on an underlying tuff refine its age to 158.1 ± 11.0 ka, providing a more precise minimum age for MSA lithic artifacts, fauna, and
fossils recovered ∼9 m below it. These results demonstrate how chronological control can be obtained in tectonically active and stratigraphically complex settings to precisely calibrate crucial evidence of technological, environmental, and evolutionary changes during the African Middle and Late Pleistocene.
In this paper we present the results of archaeological research at the Late Stone Age site of Diallowali, located along the western edge of the Middle Senegal Valley, northern Senegal. As the ...occupation spans the period between 3100-2400 years BP, it is contemporary with few other West African sites, and therefore represents a unique – and uniquely detailed – archive. Excavations conducted between 2014–2017 revealed deeply stratified and dense deposits, yielding more than 5,000kg of pottery and 169kg of faunal material – the largest faunal assemblage of any site in West Africa. Thus, the present study focuses on the zooarchaeological data and their implications for shifting environmental conditions, subsistence practices, and social institutions at the site. The faunal assemblage reflects the exploitation of a remarkable diversity of wild animals, including a range of bovids, suids, carnivores, rodents, hippopotami, birds, and various aquatic resources – representing local conditions at the end of the African Humid Period. Interestingly, the consistent presence of domestic livestock, as well as Bos taurus figurines and ceramic ‘arm-bands’ throughout the occupation support a connection to Saharan agro-pastoral communities possibly escaping the Late Holocene aridification. Therefore, the keeping of low numbers of Bostaurus and Ovis/Capra, while maintaining a high reliance on hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants, likely functioned as a risk-buffering strategy to manage against environmentally unpredictable periods.
Nous présentons ici les résultats de recherches archéologiques sur le site de Diallowali, un site du Late Stone Age situé le long de la bordure ouest de la moyenne vallée du Sénégal, au nord du pays. L’occupation du site est comprise entre 3100 et 2300 BP, et est contemporaine de quelques autres sites ouest-africains, représentant ainsi une archive unique et détaillée. Les fouilles menées entre 2014 et 2017 ont livré plus de 5000kg de poteries et 169kg de matériel faunique, ce qui en fait le plus important assemblage faunique d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Par conséquent, la présente étude se concentre sur les données archéozoologiques et leurs implications dans la compréhension de l’évolution des conditions environnementales, des stratégies de subsistance et des institutions sociales du site. L’étude de l’assemblage faunique révèle l’exploitation d’une remarquable diversité d’animaux sauvages incluant un certain nombre d’espèces de bovidés, de suidés, de carnivores, de rongeurs, d'hippopotames, d'oiseaux et de diverses ressources aquatiques, toutes reflétant les conditions climatiques locales à la fin de l’African Humid Period. Il est intéressant de noter que la présence constante d’animaux domestiques ainsi que de figurines de Bos taurus et de « brassards » en céramiques tout au long de l’occupation du site, œuvre en faveur de liens avec les communautés agro-pastorales sahariennes, tentant peut-être d’échapper à l’aridification de l’Holocène récent. Par conséquent, l’élevage d’un nombre restreint d’individus appartenant au genre Bos taurus ainsi que Ovis/Capra, tout en maintenant une forte dépendance à la chasse, la pêche et la cueillette de plantes sauvages a probablement fonctionné comme une stratégie de réduction des risques afin de gérer les périodes d’imprédictibilité climatique.
•Two new Late Pleistocene archaeological excavations from the Nyanza Rift.•High technological diversity in two broadly contemporaneous sites <5 km apart.•Middle Stone Age variability in the Late ...Pleistocene is likely under-estimated.•Technological differences influenced by original raw material size.•Open-air sites vital for revealing the full range of hunter-gatherer behaviors.
The archaeological record of Late Pleistocene Africa is characterized by behavioral diversity and change, notably the technological shift from the Middle Stone Age (MSA) to Later Stone Age (LSA). Recent research shows the MSA-LSA transition was a spatially and temporally complex process. Understanding this transition requires a composite record of archaeological sites from precise chronological and stratigraphic contexts within multiple regions. Here we present excavation and analysis of two open-air Late Pleistocene sites in chronological and geographic association: Anderea’s Farm 1 (GrJe-8) and Kapsarok 1 (GrJe-9), from the Nyanza Rift, Kenya. Volcanic ash correlations of artifact-bearing sediments provide ages of ∼ 45–36 ka for Anderea’s Farm 1 (GrJe-8) and ∼ 50 ka for Kapsarok 1 (GrJe-9). Locally procured lavas were used to produce different stone tools by disparate technological methods. Lithic production at Anderea’s Farm 1 focused on the manufacture of short irregular flakes using expedient and discoidal methods, and tools are dominated by heavy-duty types. In contrast, Kapsarok 1 is characterized by elongated and convergent blanks produced using hierarchical core technologies. Viewed together, Kapsarok 1 and Anderea’s Farm 1 emphasizes high diversity in Late Pleistocene technology of the Victoria Basin. We argue these different technologies are most parsimoniously interpreted as expressions of a broad and flexible behavioral repertoire. Further, our results emphasize how excavation and analysis of open-air archaeological sites in secure chronological and stratigraphic contexts provides the means to sample the necessary range of human behaviours across a landscape commensurate with past forager geographic ranges.
Melka Kunture est un complexe de sites paléolithiques qui s’étend sur une centaine de km2 dans la vallée supérieure de l’Awash (Éthiopie), entre 2000 et 2200m d’altitude. À partir d’il y a 2 millions ...d’années, il y a de nombreux sites avec productions lithiques de l’Oldowayen, de l’Acheuléen inférieur (Early Acheulean), de l’Acheuléen moyen et de l’Acheuléen final, et enfin du Middle Stone Age initial (Early Middle Stone Age) et du Middle Stone Age, suivis par le Late Stone Age. Le climat, frais et pluvieux a permis le développement d’une riche végétation de type afromontagnard. Les restes d’hippopotames sont omniprésents et dominent en termes de biomasse, mais les Alcelaphini sont bien représentés, notamment avec les genres Connochaetes et Damaliscus. Des restes fossiles d’homininés ont été découverts en association directe avec l’Oldowayen, l’Acheuléen inférieur, l’Acheuléen moyen et le Middle Stone Age initial. Des empreintes d’animaux et d’homininés ont également été trouvées, ces dernières dans des niveaux datés entre 1,2 et 0,7 millions d’années.
Melka Kunture is a cluster of Pleistocene sites, extending over ⁓100 km2 between 2000 and 2200m asl, in the upper Awash Valley of Ethiopia. Starting around 2 million-years ago, the archaeological sequence includes sites with lithic productions of the Oldowan, Early Acheulean, middle Acheulean, final Acheulean, Early Middle Stone Age, Middle Stone Age and Late Stone Age. All over the Pleistocene, the climate was rainy and cooler than at the lower elevations of the Rift Valley, allowing the development of Afromontane vegetation. Hippopotamuses are ubiquitous and dominant in terms of biomass, but Alcelaphini are well represented, notably with genus Connochaetes and genus Damaliscus. Hominin fossils have been discovered in association with the Oldowan, the Early Acheulean, the middle Acheulean and the Early Middle Stone Age. Animal tracks and hominin footprints have also been documented, the latter ones in layers dated between 1.2 and 0.7 million-years.
The Tichitt culture of the Ceramic Late Stone Age is known for its large settlement sites, built from dry stone walls. It is centered on the cliffs of southeastern Mauritania, but its links to the ...Middle Niger and the later urban developments there have long been a topic of research. This article adds a further piece of evidence linking the two regions. The available evidence for a set of stone-walled features is presented, around 300 sites of varying sizes and complexity. They lie on and around the sandstone massifs of the Malian Lakes Region. The evidence is so far tentative as no dating or material culture is available, but the sites are presented as a research priority for the future.
•Maboué 5 presents a sedimentary sequence ranging from Late Pleistocene to Middle Holocene in Gabon.•Layer 3 (44 600–14770 cal. BP) delivered the richest quartz lithic industry of this sequence.•A ...combined productional and techno-functional analysis is applied to the Layer 3 lithic remains.•The technological analysis highlights the co-occurrence of both Late and Middle Stone Age patterns.•The results highlight the technological variability of the early Late Stone Age in Central Africa.
In Central Africa, Late Stone Age (LSA) seems to emerge before the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) usually associated to a fluctuating savanna expansion and forest cover reduction. However, few sites with a reliable chrono-stratigraphic context allow us to deal with the emergence, the diffusion and the specificities of the regional lithic assemblages associated to the Late Stone Age. The site of Maboué 5, located in the Lopé National Park in Gabon provided useful lithic corpus to consider these questions. This paper provides a detailed technological analysis of the Layer 3 dated between 44 600 and 14 770 cal. BP. We consider both the production patterns of the entire assemblage and the morpho-structural characteristics of the tools. Our results exhibit a lithic assemblage associating both Middle and Late Stone Age technological patterns and argue for regional technological variability among early LSA quartz assemblages. Finally, we highlight the specificities of quartz lithic industry of a site in the poorly documented region of western Central Africa and we question the validity of the regional nomenclature, namely the Tshitolian and Lupemban facies, to classify this final Late Pleistocene lithic assemblage.
Although questions of modern human origins and dispersal are subject to intense research within and outside Africa, the processes of modern human diversification during the Late Pleistocene are most ...often discussed within the context of recent human genetic data. This situation is due largely to the dearth of human fossil remains dating to the final Pleistocene in Africa and their almost total absence from West and Central Africa, thus limiting our perception of modern human diversification within Africa before the Holocene.
Here, we present a morphometric comparative analysis of the earliest Late Pleistocene modern human remains from the Central African site of Ishango in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The early Late Stone Age layer (eLSA) of this site, dated to the Last Glacial Maximum (25–20 Ky), contains more than one hundred fragmentary human remains. The exceptional associated archaeological context suggests these remains derived from a community of hunter-fisher-gatherers exhibiting complex social and cognitive behaviors including substantial reliance on aquatic resources, development of fishing technology, possible mathematical notations and repetitive use of space, likely on a seasonal basis.
Comparisons with large samples of Late Pleistocene and early Holocene modern human fossils from Africa and Eurasia show that the Ishango human remains exhibit distinctive characteristics and a higher phenotypic diversity in contrast to recent African populations. In many aspects, as is true for the inner ear conformation, these eLSA human remains have more affinities with Middle to early Late Pleistocene fossils worldwide than with extant local African populations. In addition, cross-sectional geometric properties of the long bones are consistent with archaeological evidence suggesting reduced terrestrial mobility resulting from greater investment in and use of aquatic resources.
Our results on the Ishango human remains provide insights into past African modern human diversity and adaptation that are consistent with genetic theories about the deep sub-structure of Late Pleistocene African populations and their complex evolutionary history of isolation and diversification.
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