Filling the void: a study of sites characterized by levallois and blade technologies in the Kilwa basin, coastal Tanzania
Loading...
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer Nature
Abstract
Despite East Africa’s vital contribution to our understanding of human evolution, there exists a major knowledge gap concerning hominin occupation of its coastal peripheries along the Indian Ocean. This paper presents the results of a recent archaeological survey in the Kilwa basin, coastal Tanzania. The survey documented two sites, namely, Mnaraeka and Mapimbi that revealed lithic assemblages featuring recurrent centripetal Levallois and blade technologies. Although absolute chronological references for the sites have yet to be established, the lithic finds characteristically fit to the Middle Stone Age (MSA) technocomplex. The inhabitants targeted locally available stone raw materials such as quartzite, quartz, and chert. The technological strategies identified in the Kilwa basin are common at inland MSA sites across eastern and southern Africa, suggesting that the coastal ecozone may have been regularly exploited by hominins that possessed versatile technologies to adapt to diverse eastern African landscapes. Our finds lay a foundational step for future interdisciplinary research in the Kilwa basin and other parts of the East African coast.
Description
Abstract. Full text article available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-020-00070-5
Keywords
Coastal Tanzania, Kilwa, Site survey, Lithic technology, Middle Stone Age, Coastal ecozone, Inland sites, African landscapes
Citation
Beyin, A., & Ryano, K. P. (2020). Filling the void: a study of sites characterized by levallois and blade technologies in the Kilwa basin, coastal Tanzania. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology, 2020(3), 1048–1094.