Comparative analysis of Middle Stone Age artifacts in Africa (CoMSAfrica) (original) (raw)
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Comparative analysis of Middle Stone Age artifacts in Africa (CoMSAfrica) 1 | INTRODUCTION
Evolutionary Anthropology, 2019
The workshop "Comparative Analysis of Middle Stone Age Artefacts in Africa (CoMSAfrica)" aimed to reflect upon a common and replicable analytical framework, as well as proposing concrete solutions for its implementation. It builds on previous efforts to standardize pan-African comparisons which focused on higher taxonomic entities, specific categories of stone artifacts, or individual regions. Organized by C. Tryon and M. Will, the workshop brought together 12 international scholars (see author list) working in different periods and regions of Africa, with varied methodological backgrounds.
The Pleistocene Stone Artifact Record of Africa: Technologies, Typologies, and Analytic Approaches
Handbook of Pleistocene Archaeology in Africa, 2023
Flaked stone (lithic) artifacts are a ubiquitous cultural material at Pleistocene sites and first appear in the archaeological record 3.3 million years ago (Ma) in East Africa (Harmand et al., 2015). The African stone artifact record thus covers the longest time span of human prehistory compared to other world regions. Lithic artifacts preserve well, and they are often the only cultural materials remaining at a site. Archaeologists have therefore dedicated considerable effort to describing stone artifacts and to developing theory to interpret them in light of the behavioral and biological evolution of hominins. Below we briefly describe the major lithic technologies that appeared in Africa during the Pleistocene. Additionally, this chapter reviews the common analytical approaches that researchers employ when studying lithic assemblages from diverse contexts. We then discuss how archaeologists have used lithic artifacts to interpret other aspects of hominin evolution and the issues that confound these interpretations. Here, stone “artifacts” are preferred as opposed to stone “tools” to refer to all intentionally flaked stones because the term “artifact” does not presume their use as tools per se.
The structure of the Middle Stone Age of eastern Africa
The Middle Stone Age (MSA) of eastern Africa has a long history of research and is accompanied by a rich fossil record, which, combined with its geographic location, have led it to play an important role in investigating the origins and expansions of Homo sapiens. Recent evidence has suggested an earlier appearance of our species, indicating a more mosaic origin of modern humans, highlighting the importance of regional and interregional patterning and bringing into question the role that eastern Africa has played. Previous evaluations of the eastern African MSA have identified substantial variability, only a small proportion of which is explained by chronology and geography. Here, we examine the structure of behavioural, temporal, geographic and environmental variability within and between sites across eastern Africa using a quantitative approach. The application of hierarchical clustering identifies enduring patterns of tool use and site location through the MSA as well as phases of significant behavioural diversification and colonisation of new landscapes, particularly notable during Marine Isotope Stage 5. As the quantity and detail of technological studies from individual sites in eastern Africa gathers pace, the structure of the MSA record highlighted here offers a roadmap for comparative studies.
African Archaeological Review, 2005
The technology of the end products i.e. blades and points in Late Pleistocene stone artefact assemblages from Klasies River, South Africa, and the Nile Valley, Egypt, are compared. The comparison includes univariate and multivariate analysis of metrical attributes enhanced by graphical biplot displays. The end products in these assemblages are either dominantly points or blades and this is related to the core reduction strategy adopted. The MSA 11 from Klasies River and the Nubian Complex industry from the Nile Valley are point industries made in the Levallois tradition, while the MSA 1 from Klasies River and the Taramsan from the Nile Valley may be non-Levallois or adapted Levallois blade industries. Dating of the assemblages shows the changes between dominant core reduction strategies are sequential and time restricted in both South and North Africa. It is concluded that variability of the same kind occurs in Middle Stone Age and Middle Palaeolithic assemblages south and north of the Sahara in the early Late Pleistocene. Dans cet article, les technologies des produits recherchés, des lames et des pointes, pour certains ensembles lithiques de Klasies River, Afrique du Sud et la Vallée du Nil, Egypte, sont comparées. Cette comparaison implique des analyses univariées et multivariées de variables métriques biplot. Les produits recherchés sont bien des pointes que des lames, selon les stratégies d’exploitation adoptées. Le MSA II de Klasies River et le Complexe nubien de la Vallée du Nil sont des industries à pointes issues de la tradition Levallois. Par contre, le MSA I de Klasies River et le Taramsien de la Vallée du Nil évoquent une technologie de production non-Levallois ou Levallois modifiée. Les éléments de datation disponibles indiquent que les changements dans la prépondérance des stratégies d’exploitation s’enchaînent dans une séquence chronologique bien identifiable, aussibien dans l’Afrique du Sud que l’Afrique du Nord. On arrive à la conclusion qu’une variabilité du même caractère est attestée dans les ensembles du Middle Stone Age et du Paléolithique moyen au sud et au nord du Sahara, pendant le Pléistocène supérieur ancien.