Filling the Void: a Study of Sites Characterized by Levallois and Blade Technologies in the Kilwa Basin, Coastal Tanzani
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Filling the Void: a Study of Sites Characterized by Levallois and Blade Technologies in the Kilwa Basin, Coastal Tanzania Amanuel Beyin 1
& Kokeli
Peter Ryano 2,3
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
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. Keywords Coastal Tanzania . Kilwa . Site survey . Lithic technology . Middle Stone Age
Introduction There is a growing recognition of the importance of coastal landscapes as biodiversity hotspots that may have provided impetus for the evolutionary success of our species
* Amanuel Beyin [email protected]
1
Department of Anthropology, University of Louisville, Louisville, USA
2
Department of History and Archaeology, University of Dodoma, Dodoma, Tanzania
3
School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology
(Erlandson 2001; Westley and Dix 2006; Bailey and Parkington 2009; Cunnane and Stewart 2010). Thus, archaeological research focused on coastal landscapes is becoming increasingly relevant to addressing important anthropological questions, ranging from hominin (early human) dispersal routes (Stringer 2000; Walter et al. 2000; Niang et al. 2018; Beyin in press) to prehistoric human economies (Bailey et al. 2013; Marean 2014; Chakroun et al. 2017) and the evolution of modern human behavior (Parkington 2010; Marean 2011). East Africa presents ideal conditions for examining the role of coastal habitats in hominin survival across different evolutionary scenarios due to its rich paleoanthropological record and geographic setting bordered by a continuous coastline of the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately, the region’s vast coastal zone had seen little Stone Age–focused research in the past, hindering adequate assessment of its role as a human habitat. Historically, Paleolithic research in East Africa has remained focused on the hinterlands, mainly around
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