A IIDDLE PALEOLITHIC ASSERBLAGE FROPi NUBIA AND ITS CULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS Deborah Lynne Mallsmith B.A., Simcn Fraser University, 1979 THESIS SUBflITTED IN PARTIAL PULFILLMEXT OF THS REQUIRENENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department Archaeology @ Deborah Lynne Yallsnith 1984 SIION FRASER UWIVERSITY ~1-Lrights reserved. This work nay not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Deborah Lynne Wallsmith Degree: Master of Arts Title of ~hesis: A Middle Paleolithic Assemblage from Nubia and its Cultural Relationships Examining Committee: Chairman: Richard Shutler, Jr. - Roy ~arls-on- /.\,. , "----,,,- Jgmes Q. 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Title of Thesis/Project/Extended Essay A Middle Paleolithic Assemblage from Nubia and its Cultural Relationships Author: (signature) Deborah Wallsmith ABSTRACT This thesis consists of a technological and typological analysis of the lithics (flaked stone artifacts and detritus) recovered through archaeological excavation of the site of Magendohli (11-H-9), which rests atop an isolated inselberg on the west bank of the Nile in Sudanese Nubia, and a comparison of this assemblage with lithic industries previously defined. Of the nearly 30,000 lithic pieces, fewer than ten percent are finished tools. Of these, side scrapers, denticulates, and notched pieces are the most common types. Pedunculates occur in small numbers as do blades. In addition there is a high frequency of cortex and non-cortex flakes and of cores in various stages of preparation. The unrestricted Levallois index for the site is relatively high. These frequencies and indices indicate that Magendohli was a quarry site, and support the hypothesis that the assemblage found there belongs to the Nubian Middle Paleolithic which is in turn related to the Aterian, a lithic industry of North Africa. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank the faculty of the Department of Archaeology for all their support and advice, especially Dr. Roy L. Carlson who provided the research material and continual encouragement, and Professor Philip M. Hobler who was helpful throughout my stay at Simon Fraser University. I am also grateful to all the students who unfailingly gave me support and cheered me up when I needed it. Without these people, I may have given up a long time ago. I appreciate the time that Dr. James Hester, of the University of Colorado, took out from hls vacation to read the thesis and thank both him for spending the time and his wife, Adrienne, for allowing the intrusion. I could never have completed my analysis without the assistance of Cathy Driver, who helped in the often tedious tasks of sorting and counting 'rocks' and who kindly offered to illustrate some of the pieces. To Andrew Barton goes a special thanks for putting up with my continual requests and the theft of his typewriter ball, as well as supplying me with cigarettes when my fingernails ran out. Notes of gratitude must also go to Dr. M.E. (Stevi) Stephens of the Museum of Archaeology at Simon Fraser University , for keeping me employed over the past years - a task which was often difficult - and to Ingrid Bell, Departmental Assistant, who also managed to find money for me when I needed it. Finally, I thank my family for their support and their ability to put up with my somewhat erratic ways. TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval ................................................... Abstract ................................................... iii Acknowledgements ........................................... List of Tables ............................................. vii List of Figures ............................................ viii I . Introduction ..................................... Description of Magendohli ........................ Nature of the Past Deposit ....................... The Lithics from Magendohli ...................... Methodology used in the Analysis .................. Description of the Magendohli Lithics ............ Summary of the Magendohli Industry ............... A comparison with Other Contemporary Lithic Assemblages from the region ...................... 38 History of Nubian Archaeological Research ........ 38 Classification of Middle Paleolithic Industries .. 44 The Aterian Industry ............................. 52 The Khormusan Industry ........................... 68 Discussion and Comparison of Middle Paleolithic Industries ....................................... 72 Summary of the Comparison ........................ 82 IV . Conclusions ...................................... 85 Bibliography ............................................... 89 ..LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 2.1 General Structure Typology ......................... 11 2.2 Bordes' Typology ................................... 14 2.3 General Structure of Magendohli site ............... 19 2.4 Tool List for Magendohli (11-H-9) .................. 26 3.1 Selected indices for Aterian sites ................. 54 3.2 unrestricted Technological and Typological Indices for Nubian Middle Stone Age sites .................. 73 Restricted Indices calculated for Nubian Middle Stone Age sites .................................... 74 unrestricted Group Indices for Nubian Middle Stone Age sites .......................................... 75 Restricted Group Indices for Nubian Middle Stone Age sites .............................................. 76 vii ..LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1.1 Map of Magendohli .................................. 3 2.1 Formulas for calculation of Bordes' technological and typological indices ............................ 16 2.2 Characteristic Group Indices ....................... 18 2.3 Artifacts from Magendohli .......................... 28 2.4 Artifacts from Magendohli .......................... 29 2.5 Artifacts from Magendohli .......................... 32 2.6 Biface from Magendohli ............................. 34 3.1 Map showing sites in the Reservoir Area ............ 40 Chronology of Nubian prehistoric lithic industries . 43 Cumulative Frequency Graph for Nubian Mousterian sites ........................................ 45 Cumulative Frequency Graph for Nubian Mousterian sites .............................................. 46 Cumulative Frequency Graph for Nubian Mousterian sites ........................................ 47 Cumulative Frequency Graph for Denticulate Mousterian sites ................................... 49 Cumulative .Frequency Graph for Nubian Middle Paleolithic sites .................................. 52 Map showing some Aterian sites in relation to Magendohli ......................................... 53 Cumulative Frequency Graph with table of General Structure of Bir Tarfawi Aterian sites ............. 61 Cumulative Frequency Graph for Khormusan sites ..... 70 Cumulative Frequency Graph for Magendohli .......... 71 viii XI Introduction This study consists of a technological and typological analysis of an asse~blageof stone tools and debitage recovered flcom excavations at the site of Bayendohli Ill-A-9) in Sudanese Nubia in 1365, The main thrust of the study is directed toward detemining the nature of the asseablage, and its si~ilarities and differences with other asserab ]ages f fom lubia in particular, and gorth Africa in general, These goals are reached first by describing the site and the excavation frola which the asseablage ca@e. The assemblage is then analyzed and described, The methods and techniques employed in this analysis and description are also presented, so thar the feader is anare of their Limitations and capabilities. finally, the Hagendohli asseablage is compared with &her assesblages and industries, and inferences concerniag cvftnral relationships are generated, The assetgblage fro@ Plagendohli will be tested against &he previously developed analyses, A review of the relevant cultural taxoaosy is also included in this concludf fig section, Magendohli {Figure I) is an isolated outcrop of pre-Caabrian rock which rises approxi~ately60 m, above the west bank of the Nile River in the oadia of Saras, It vas excavated in '1966 by the Colorado Expedition directed bp Boy Carlson, as part of the Wnbian salvage operations unaertaten during the constrnction of the New Aswan High Daa and the subsequent fiffiag of the reservoir, The top of this inselberg stroved evidence of several cultural coaponeats ranging front Hiddle Paleolithic to Hubian C-Group or slightly yonnger, Linear rock alignmnts, re~iniscentof the gazelle fences found in the Sahara, were located near either end of the jebel while oval rack alignntents, which Carlson and Sigstad (W73: 55) suggest aay have been hunters* blinds, were located near the linear rock alignments. The excavation of two 5 X 5 a, pits and one half that size were ondertaken near the north end of the jebef to a depth of betweeza