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The Middle and Later Stone Age of the Article Introduces New Sites and Presents Preliminary Iringa Region, Southern Tanzania: an Results from the Initial Fieldwork NYAME AKUMA No. 68 DECEMBER 2007 TANZANIA was done to test models of the emergence of modern humans in this part of Africa (Willoughby 2007). This The Middle and Later Stone Age of the article introduces new sites and presents preliminary Iringa Region, southern Tanzania: An results from the initial fieldwork. Pamela Willoughby Introduction describes the sites, the general framework of this re- search project, and the cultural history of Iringa. Her Katie Biittner two PhD students, Katie Biittner and Pastory Bushozi, Department of Anthropology discuss their own research. University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2H4 E-mail: [email protected] What does it mean to be a modern hu- man? Pastory M. Bushozi Department of Anthropology Anatomically modern people (Homo sapiens) University of Alberta are found throughout Africa, as far back as 195,000 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2H4 years ago. But their associated artifacts are Middle Stone Age (MSA) or Middle Palaeolithic (MP). How- AND Archaeology Unit ever, it is not until their descendants reached Europe Department of History and become Cro-Magnons with Upper Palaeolithic University of Dar es Salaam (UP) tools that they are considered to be truly mod- P. O. Box 35050 ern. Innovations said to appear only with the Upper Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) Palaeolithic include (1) blade tools, (2) bone, ivory E-mail: [email protected] and antler tools, (3) jewelry and art, (4) curation of tools, (5) long distance transport of resources, (6) Pamela R. Willoughby information networks and the first true ethnic groups, Department of Anthropology (7) collector strategy of mobility, (8) specialization in University of Alberta hunting one or two animal species, (9) use of fish or Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2H4 shellfish, (10) more complex burials, (11) expansion E-mail: [email protected] into new territories, and (12) association with ana- tomically modern Homo sapiens (Mellars 1991). Ar- chaeologists are split between those who feel that MSA / MP Africans were well on their way to being Introduction and background (Pamela modern in all respects, and those, like Klein (1992), Willoughby) who argue that modernity appeared only with the onset of the Later Stone Age (LSA) around 50,000 Tanzania is well known for the richness of its years ago. Klein argues that it was only then that the Stone Age past. But what we know about its early human brain was rewired to enable complex language history comes from a limited number of northern sites and symbolic behavior. Soon afterwards, these fully such as Olduvai Gorge, as well as Nasera rockshelter modern humans dispersed out of Africa and spread and Mumba Cave near Lake Eyasi. The Iringa Re- everywhere. It is hard to test this idea, as there are gion in the south, however, also contains a long Stone few sites which show the transition from the Middle Age record. It begins with the Acheulean at Isimila to the Later Stone Age. This change was associated Korongo and Mgongo, both located just outside of with the onset of cold, dry, glacial conditions, and the modern regional capital of Iringa. But the Stone genetic, fossil and archaeological data all point to a Age past continues in a series of granite rockshelters marked reduction in human populations. But parts and caves (Figure 1). Pamela Willoughby first saw of Africa may have acted as refugia even in the worst these sites in 2005, and directed brief test excava- stages of the Upper Pleistocene. Test excavations tions of two of them in 2006. It became clear immedi- carried out in the summer of 2006 in the Iringa Region ately that they may contain the entire post-Acheulean of southern Tanzania show that it was occupied at cultural record. This paper introduces three this critical time period. rockshelters from which archaeological material was recovered in July and August 2006. This research 62 NYAME AKUMA No. 68 DECEMBER 2007 Figure 1. Map of Tanzania showing location of the Iringa rockshelters. The Iringa rockshelters (Holocene) LSA, (4) one or more human burials, and then a (5) macrolithic LSA. We did not reach bed- Mlambalasi (7°35.458’S, 35°30.142’E) is located rock, as further progress was impeded by many large about 50 km west of the modern regional capital of rocks. Radiocarbon dates were obtained on shell Iringa (Figure 2). It is well known, since it is the burial from above and below the human remains. But they site of Mkwawa, Paramount Chief of the Wahehe in were reversed. Shells at 65 to 70 cm below the sur- the 19th century. The rockshelter above the burial face, just above the human remains, gave an site (at an elevation of 1029 m) has been given SASES uncalibrated date of 12,940 ± 90 BP (TO-13417); those # HwJf-02. It is composed of two main chambers. below the bones (at a depth of 110 to 120 cm) were The surface of both is littered with Iron Age and dated to 11,710 ± 90 BP (TO-13418). historic materials such as pottery, grindstones, iron and slag, and quartz and crypto-crystalline silica Elizabeth Sawchuk (2008) analyzed the human stone tools. A 1 m² test pit was excavated in one of remains for her BA Honours thesis. She determined the two main chambers. This test pit 1 produced an that, while the human remains were quite fragmen- archaeological sequence of (1) historic materials, (2) tary, they most likely represent a single adult. How- Iron Age, with one uncalibrated AMS radiocarbon ever, a couple of juvenile bones were also recovered. date of 460 ± 50 BP (TO-13416), (3) a microlithic We plan to return to Mlambalasi in 2009, and will 63 NYAME AKUMA No. 68 DECEMBER 2007 Figure 2. Mlambalasi rockshelter. open up the main room to determine whether or not and in a gravel deposit, MSA, mixed with LSA. This this was a Later Stone Age cemetery. After the hu- final level could be accidentally mixed, or it could man remains are removed, we will excavate further to represent a transitional industry such as the Mumba determine if there is a Middle Stone Age occupation Industry at the site of the same name (Mehlman 1989). in this shelter. There is in test pit 2, which was What is clear is that the lithic raw materials change excavated on the slope outside the modern shelter. radically when the MSA artifacts appear. Above this But it lies under about 1.5 m of mixed deposits that level, lithics are mainly white quartz and/or a black have slumped down the hill. crypto-crystalline rock. In the MSA, there are a wide variety of materials and the stone tools are quite larger. Magubike (7°45.780’S 35°28.399’E; elevation Test pit 2, in the second chamber, contained (1) the of 1541 m) is designated HxJf-01. It is a rockshelter Iron Age, and at a depth of 50 cm, (2) the same kind of complex on the top of a small hill or butte in the vil- MSA recovered deeper in test pit 1. But a large rock lage of the same name (Figure 3). There are two main prevented any further excavation. Instead, we put chambers, with Iron Age ceramics, metal and stone another 1 m² adjacent to this test pit. This became tools (quartz and black chert) scattered over the sur- test pit 3, and includes (1) about 50 cm of Iron Age face. There are also artifacts eroding out on the slope materials, then, without a break in the deposition, (2) below the main shelter and Middle Stone Age ones 1.6 m of MSA, to a depth of 210 cm below the surface. exposed on the surface of a fallow tobacco field be- Associated with the thousands of MSA stone arti- low. We only had time to dig 1 m² test pits in the two facts are fossil mammal bones, molluscs (genus main shelter areas. Test pit 1 produced a sequence of Achatina), and 6.5 fossil human teeth. There does (1) Iron Age, (2) LSA, and, (3) at a depth of 110 cm 64 NYAME AKUMA No. 68 DECEMBER 2007 Figure 3. Magubike rockshelter. not appear to be any sign of LSA occupation on this mainly quartz (n=332 or 57.4%), rock crystal (n=230 site of Magubike. One surprising thing is that the or 39.8%). While we attempted to get a representa- raw materials used for stone tools in the MSA of test tive sample, 364 or 63.0% turned out to be retouched pits 1 and 2/3 are radically different. Volcanics, quartz- tools, 112 (19.4%) are cores and the remainder (n=102 ite, quartz and a variety of crypto-crystalline lithics or 17.6%) were debitage (whole flakes and blades, as are used in both. Yet test pit 1 (and on the surface of well as flaking debris). The retouched tools appear the tobacco field) is dominated by light colored rocks. quite similar to those from the deeper levels at Test pits 2 and 3 are mainly black siliceous rocks and Mlambalasi test pit 1, and suggest that Kitelewasi basalt. belongs to the MSA or to the MSA to LSA transi- Kitelewasi (7°48.017’S, 35°64.106’E) is another tional period. rockshelter, located off the main highway southeast of Iringa City (Figure 4). At an elevation of 2066 m, it Preliminary Results of lithic raw material is given the local name of Mangayawatwe. On the characterization at Mlambalasi and surface under the shelter are numerous large stone Magubike (Katie Biittner) artifacts, mainly quartz, as well as fossilized mammal bones.
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