Lithic traditions in the Horn of Africa from MIS 3 onwards: views from the Main Ethiopian Rift

Summary

The Horn of Africa plays an important role in debates on emergence and dispersal of Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH) and their associated technologies (Middle Stone Age). In comparison, the period that follows (Late Stone Age) has been the subject of much less investigation. We argue that evidence regarding prehistoric groups that remained or came into the region during the latest part of the Pleistocene is critical for understanding the conditions of AMH’s unprecedented expansion and diverse adaptive solutions. We present the results of archaeological investigations conducted in the Ziway-Shala basin, a well-developed lacustrine sequence from the central part of the Main Ethiopian Rift, with an emphasis on lithic technology. Based on this, we review the available archaeological data from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 up to the onset of the Holocene at a regional scale and discuss the links between technological traditions. We finally stress the lack of evidence for human occupation during MIS 2 and question the role of several environmental constraints as well as possible research bias.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Parting the Red Sea: Late Pleistocene Lithic Variability and Human Dispersals in the Horn of Africa and Arabia

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