Download or read book Variability of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Microlithic Industries in Northern and Eastern Africa written by Latifa Sari and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-12-24 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the question of variability in backed bladelet-based technologies. It also examines the role of LSA microlithic industries as adaptive strategies for coping with paleoenvironmental changes in North Africa. The multidisciplinary research activities conducted in caves and open-air sites in North Africa over the past two decades have highlighted the importance of this region for understanding the development of LSA microlithic technologies in Africa. This book, therefore, enriches the debate of origin and the spread of Late Pleistocene microlithic technologies in North Africa and beyond. Previously published in African Archaeological Review Volume 37, issue 3, September 2020

Download or read book Variability Among Later Stone Age Hunter gatherers in Eastern Africa written by Mica Bryant Jones and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The hunting and gathering way of life is the most enduring and resilient in human history. However, the ways that a wild food-based subsistence system affects people's social and economic organization are often oversimplified and variability is poorly understood. In general, there's been a tendency, particularly among non-Anthropologists, to assume that hunter-gatherer societies are static and that historic groups represent an earlier, simpler way of life. This is particularly true in Africa, where small, highly mobile groups are common ethnographically. However, dramatic rainfall fluctuations over the last ~30,000 years significantly altered resources available to hunter-gatherers in diverse environments of northern and eastern Africa. To examine the ways hunter-gatherer groups responded to terminal Pleistocene and Holocene climatic shifts and investigate social and economic variability through time, this thesis compares two long archaeological sequences from distinct eastern African ecozones in semi-arid versus humid settings. Radiocarbon dates and faunal data from the Guli Waabayo rock shelter in the semi-arid plains of the southern Horn of Africa revealed occupation between ~26-6 kya. New dates indicated that early use of the site occurred during a period of aridity in the last glaciation, but Holocene occupation was associated with higher rainfall. Faunal species representation demonstrates that, throughout these fluctuations, people maintained a remarkably consistent focus on small game. Taxonomic and age based evidence for specialized dik-dik net-hunting during both arid and humid periods indicates maintenance of unique and resilient hunter-gatherer social and economic strategies that allowed people to survive on the Buur Heybe inselberg for thousands of years. In comparison, excavations at the Namundiri A shell midden in Uganda provide new insights into the flexibility of complex Kansyore hunter-gatherers who occupied the well-watered Lake Victoria Basin of East Africa ~8. 5-1. 5 kya. Dates from the site are the first evidence of Kansyore occupation between ~7-4. 4 kya, which, combined with site location and faunal data, indicate relatively stable lifeways along the lakeshore leading up to an arid phase in the mid-Holocene ~5-4 kya. Abandonment of the lake's edge and an increased emphasis on fishing along inland rivers after this period suggests reorganization among hunter-gatherers in response to changing climatic and environmental conditions in order to maintain a consistent presence in the region. This examination of Late Quaternary and Holocene hunter-gatherers living in drier and wetter regions of eastern Africa draws attention to the different ways foraging groups responded to environmental and social shifts in order to maintain continuity over long time spans. Together, these two case studies highlight unique hunter-gatherer strategies that involved reduced mobility and subsistence specialization, which are not documented in the ethnographic record of Africa. As a result, this research helps to expand global understandings of variability in the hunting and gathering lifestyle.

Download or read book Thinking Small written by Robert G. Elston and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Problems in Prehistory North Africa and the Levant written by Fred Wendorf and published by Smu Press. This book was released on 1975 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Microblade based Industries in Northeastern Asia written by Meng Zhang and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rise and fall of microblade technology during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene is not only a part of the panorama of global microlithisation, but also a key question linked to human adaptive change in the face of climate fluctuation. This monograph creatively uses Lewis Binford's macroecological approach developed from his book Constructing Frames of Reference (2001) against both interglacial and glacial climate conditions, to provide an explanation of variation and change among late Pleistocene and early Holocene microblade-based industries in northeastern Asia. It uses six case studies to discuss two waves of cultural change linked with issues of the origin of microblade technology and the Palaeolithic to Neolithic transition.

Download or read book Change in later pleistocene lithic industries in Eastern Africa written by Harry V. Merrick and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 982 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Not Just a Corridor written by Collectif and published by Publications scientifiques du Muséum. This book was released on 2022-01-20 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The end of the Pleistocene (c. 75-15 ka) is a key period for the prehistory of the Nile Valley. The climatic fluctuations documented during this period have led human populations from the Middle and Late Palaeolithic to adapt to a changing Nile. In particular, the global shift to more arid conditions regionally translated into the expansion of the Sahara, the lowering of sea levels and the desiccation of some major eastern African lakes. These climatically-induced environmental changes influenced the behaviour of the Nile —although how exactly is still debated— and its role as an ecological refugium for human populations living in its vicinity. Genetic and fossil evidence highlight a strong population substructure in Africa during this period, suggesting the alternation of phases of major dispersals of modern humans within the continent, as well as out-of and back-into Africa, with phases of relative isolation of populations, which might be linked to the creation of environmental refugia during the climatic fluctuations of this period. Understanding to what extent the technological variability observed in north-eastern Africa between 75,000 and 15,000 years ago is linked to environmental changes and/or possible contacts between different human populations is critical in this context. The best-preserved evidence for past human behavior are archaeological assemblages, most often lithic assemblages. However, the use of different terminologies, whether they refer to cultural or techno-typological entities, hampers any systematic comparison between the Nile Valley on one hand and neighbouring regions on the other hand. An outcome of this practice is the artificial ‘isolation’ of the north-eastern African record from its neighbouring regions. This monograph groups together chapters presenting updated reviews and new data on regional archaeological, palaeoenvironmental, palaeoanthropological and geological records from north-eastern Africa, North Africa, the Levant and eastern Africa for the period ranging from 75,000 to 15,000 years ago. While north-eastern Africa, and the Nile Valley in particular, is generally considered as one of the main possible routes of migrations out of Africa, few recent studies allow the data from this region to be viewed from a macro-regional perspective. This book allows the exploration of topical issues, such as modern humans’ capacity for adaptation, particularly in the context of climate change, as well as population interactions and human dispersals in the past, taking a multidisciplinary approach.

Download or read book Saharan Hunter Gatherers written by Savino di Lernia and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-07-28 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the archaeology of the Acacus massif and surrounding areas in southwestern Libya over approximately 2500 years of the Early Holocene, utilising fresh theoretical approaches and new explanations of the social and cultural processes of the area. Archaeological and rock art evidence, much of which is unpublished until now, is used to explore the crucial period that encompasses the onset of the “Green Sahara” to the introduction of domestic livestock. It provides a basis for understanding the original cultural and social developments of hunter-gatherers and foragers of the central ranges of the Sahara. The work also bears upon the wider area informing the reconstruction of the environment and cultural dynamics and stands as key reference point for the larger Sahara and North Africa. The book, rich in illustrations, provides a critical synthesis and overview of the developments of central Saharan archaeology within the broader African framework. The book is invaluable to archaeologists, palaeoenvironmental scientists, and rock art researchers working on the Sahara and North Africa and as comparative work for researchers in African archaeology in general.

Download or read book Early Microlithic Technologies and Behavioural Variability in Southern Africa and South Asia written by Laura Lewis and published by BAR International Series. This book was released on 2017 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides the first exploration of variability in two of the earliest microlithic industries in the world: the Howiesons Poort of southern Africa and the Late Palaeolithic of South Asia. It demonstrates the independent innovation of microlithic technology, and has implications for our understanding of modern human behaviour and disper...

Download or read book Culture History and Convergent Evolution written by Huw S. Groucutt and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-07-23 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume brings together diverse contributions from leading archaeologists and paleoanthropologists, covering various spatial and temporal periods to distinguish convergent evolution from cultural transmission in order to see if we can discover ancient human populations. With a focus on lithic technology, the book analyzes ancient materials and cultures to systematically explore the theoretical and physical aspects of culture, convergence, and populations in human evolution and prehistory. The book will be of interest to academics, students and researchers in archaeology, paleoanthropology, genetics, and paleontology. The book begins by addressing early prehistory, discussing the convergent evolution of behaviors and the diverse ecological conditions driving the success of different evolutionary paths. Chapters discuss these topics and technology in the context of the Lower Paleolithic/Earlier Stone age and Middle Paleolithic/Middle Stone Age. The book then moves towards a focus on the prehistory of our species over the last 40,000 years. Topics covered include the human evolutionary and dispersal consequences of the Middle-Upper Paleolithic Transition in Western Eurasia. Readers will also learn about the cultural convergences, and divergences, that occurred during the Terminal Pleistocene and Holocene, such as the budding of human societies in the Americas. The book concludes by integrating these various perspectives and theories, and explores different methods of analysis to link technological developments and cultural convergence.

Download or read book Technological Styles in the Jebel Gharbi Lithic Industries of TheLate Pleistocene North Western Libya written by Giuseppina Mutri and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of the human societies of the Final Pleistocene of North Africa requires an in-depth analysis of the techno-typological characteristics of the microlithic industries that were widespread in the whole Mediterranean area during the period between 24000 and 10000 years ago. Most of the research projects in Maghreb and Libya were carried out decades ago. At the time sediments were rarely sieved and the small lithic tools, so characteristic of this period.

Download or read book Change in Later Pleistocene Lithic Industries in Eastern Africa written by Harry Vincent Merrick and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 982 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Change in Later Pleistocene Lithic Industries in Eastern Africa written by Harry Vincent Merrick and published by . This book was released on 1900 with total page 491 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Fishing Sites of North and East Africa in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene written by Isabelle Sidéra and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Convergent Evolution in Stone Tool Technology written by Michael J. O'Brien and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2024-05-21 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scholars from a variety of disciplines consider cases of convergence in lithic technology, when functional or developmental constraints result in similar forms in independent lineages. Hominins began using stone tools at least 2.6 million years ago, perhaps even 3.4 million years ago. Given the nearly ubiquitous use of stone tools by humans and their ancestors, the study of lithic technology offers an important line of inquiry into questions of evolution and behavior. This book examines convergence in stone tool-making, cases in which functional or developmental constraints result in similar forms in independent lineages. Identifying examples of convergence, and distinguishing convergence from divergence, refutes hypotheses that suggest physical or cultural connection between far-flung prehistoric toolmakers. Employing phylogenetic analysis and stone-tool replication, the contributors show that similarity of tools can be caused by such common constraints as the fracture properties of stone or adaptive challenges rather than such unlikely phenomena as migration of toolmakers over an Arctic ice shelf. Contributors R. Alexander Bentley, Briggs Buchanan, Marcelo Cardillo, Mathieu Charbonneau, Judith Charlin, Chris Clarkson, Loren G. Davis, Metin I. Eren, Peter Hiscock, Thomas A. Jennings, Steven L. Kuhn, Daniel E. Lieberman, George R. McGhee, Alex Mackay, Michael J. O'Brien, Charlotte D. Pevny, Ceri Shipton, Ashley M. Smallwood, Heather Smith, Jayne Wilkins, Samuel C. Willis, Nicolas Zayns

Download or read book The Archaeology of Southern Africa written by Peter Mitchell and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-11-14 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an archaeological synthesis of Southern Africa.

Download or read book Africa from MIS 6 2 written by Sacha C. Jones and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-03-04 with total page 419 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bringing together archaeological, paleoenvironmental, paleontological and genetic data, this book makes a first attempt to reconstruct African population histories from out species' evolution to the Holocene. Africa during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 6 to 2 (~190-12,000 years ago) witnessed the biological development and behavioral florescence of our species. Modern human population dynamics, which involved multiple population expansions, dispersals, contractions and extinctions, played a central role in our species’ evolutionary trajectory. So far, the demographic processes – modern human population sizes, distributions and movements – that occurred within Africa during this critical period have been consistently under-addressed. The authors of this volume aim at (1) examining the impact of this glacial-interglacial- glacial cycle on human group sizes, movements and distributions throughout Africa; (2) investigating the macro- and micro-evolutionary processes underpinning our species’ anatomical and behavioral evolution; and (3) setting an agenda whereby Africa can benefit from, and eventually contribute to, the increasingly sophisticated theoretical and methodological palaeodemographic frameworks developed on other continents.