Hunter-gatherers of the high-altitude Afromontane forest – the Holocene occupation of Mount Dendi, Ethiopia

Schepers, Christian; Lesur, Joséphine; Vogelsang, Ralf

doi:10.1080/0067270x.2020.1792709

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 60 publications

(81 reference statements)

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“…Pottery is also restricted to the recent surface layer and the youngest Stone Age occupation. This confirms the general picture of a late appearance of pottery in the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands around 2000 years ago (Gutherz et al, 2002;Hildebrand and Brandt, 2010;Schepers et al, 2020).…”

Section: Archaeological Findssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Despite two fragments of backed microliths that cannot be further classified, two segments are the only characteristic type-forms. The older assemblage, which dates between ∼4,300 and ∼4,800 cal BP, comprised 11 segments (Figure 10), seven micro-points and six double micro-points (following the definition of type-forms in Schepers et al, 2020). Single pieces are one scraper, one backed point and one drill.…”

Section: Archaeological Findsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stratigraphy and Chronology of Sodicho Rockshelter – A New Sedimentological Record of Past Environmental Changes and Human Settlement Phases in Southwestern Ethiopia

et al. 2021

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The preservation of archaeological remains and environmental information in a sediment accumulation can vary in caves and rockshelters, depending on external climatic conditions, and the circumstances within the shelter. Several sediment stratigraphies in the Horn of Africa are characterized by erosion layers, discordances and chronological gaps, that create uncertainties about the impact of climatic and environmental shifts on human settlements. Archaeological sites in Ethiopia that preserve information about human occupation during the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene often deal with major gaps during a period corresponding to MIS 2. In this study we present the first results of sedimentological, geochemical analyses and radiocarbon dating at Sodicho Rockshelter (1930 m above sea level) that provide evidence on high altitude settlement during this mentioned chronostratigraphic gap and subsequent time slices. This new archaeological site in the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands hosts a 2-m-long sediment record. So far, a stratigraphy has been excavated that dates back to ∼27 ka, including several settlement phases of Late Pleistocene and Holocene hunter-gatherers and providing information on environmental changes. A multiproxy approach was chosen to establish a first general stratigraphy of the site and to disentangle the sediment composition as well as site formation processes. The results suggest a variation of allochthonous and autochthonous geogenic deposits, and anthropogenic accumulation processes. With the help of radiocarbon dating, anthropogenic layers were dated covering the arid Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, ∼21 ± 2 ka). The occupation phases were interrupted in cause of environmental changes. The most prominent is the accumulation of reddish, archaeological sterile deposits that can be chronologically associated with the African Humid Period (AHP, ∼15–5 ka BP). Geochemical records point to dry spells within this humid phase, suggesting correlations with regional climate signals of lacustrine sediments. These sediment accumulations of past wet conditions are covered by alternating layers of Holocene volcanic fallout and sediments with preserved cultural material. Our study provides a preliminary impression of still poorly understood time periods of human occupation in the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands. The data obtained from Sodicho Rockshelter could validate the current state of knowledge and partially reduce the chronostratigraphic gap.

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Section: Archaeological Findssupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Archaeological Findsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stratigraphy and Chronology of Sodicho Rockshelter – A New Sedimentological Record of Past Environmental Changes and Human Settlement Phases in Southwestern Ethiopia

et al. 2021

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“…Examples are three caves in the Gamo highlands [72] and six caves or rockshelters in the Kaffa region [73] (Figure 1). The Dendi Lake Rockshelter is one example of humans using high-altitude landscapes during the Middle and Late Holocene [74].…”

Section: Overview Of Archaeological Records Of the Last 25 Ka In Ethiopiamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Phytolith Supported Biosphere-Hydrosphere Predictive Model for Southern Ethiopia: Insights into Paleoenvironmental Changes and Human Landscape Preferences since the Last Glacial Maximum

et al. 2021

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During the past 25 ka, southern Ethiopia has undergone tremendous climatic changes, from dry and relatively cold during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 25–18 ka) to the African Humid Period (AHP, 15–5 ka), and back to present-day dry conditions. As a contribution to better understand the effects of climate change on vegetation and lakes, we here present a new Predictive Vegetation Model that is linked with a Lake Balance Model and available vegetation-proxy records from southern Ethiopia including a new phytolith record from the Chew Bahir basin. We constructed a detailed paleo-landcover map of southern Ethiopia during the LGM, AHP (with and without influence of the Congo Air Boundary) and the modern-day potential natural landcover. Compared to today, we observe a 15–20% reduction in moisture availability during the LGM with widespread open landscapes and only few remaining forest refugia. We identify 25–40% increased moisture availability during the AHP with prevailing forests in the mid-altitudes and indications that modern anthropogenic landcover change has affected the water balance. In comparison with existing archaeological records, we find that human occupations tend to correspond with open landscapes during the late Pleistocene and Holocene in southern Ethiopia.

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Afromontane forests and human impact after the African Humid Period: wood charcoal from the Sodicho rock shelter, SW Ethiopian highlands

Bodin,

Neumann,

Hensel

et al. 2024

Veget Hist Archaeobot

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The SW highlands of Ethiopia are a key component in the evolution of modern humans. Yet, palaeoecological studies, essential to understand past human-vegetation relationships, are almost inexistent in this region. In this paper, we present an anthracological study of the Sodicho rock shelter, located at 1,930 m a.s.l. in the SW Ethiopian Afromontane forest zone, reconstructing the past woody vegetation since the end of the African Humid Period (ca. 5,000 cal bp). Our results show that the vegetation around the rock shelter from ca. 4,750 to 1,750 cal bp was an ecotone between Afromontane forest and wooded grasslands of the lowlands, maintained open by the use of fire, although the climatic conditions were favourable for closed forest. The charcoal assemblage also demonstrates strong wood selection, with Syzygium guineense, Acacia and Proteaceae as the preferred taxa, even during a volcanic event when human occupation had been assumed to be absent. We therefore suggest that the rock shelter might have been visited more continuously than previously thought. Finally, under less intense occupation activities from ca. 1,700 to 300 cal bp, forest taxa became comparatively more dominant than before, as documented in the charcoal record. This demonstrates that the forest can recover under reduced human impact. The fact that the Afromontane forest is resilient is of utmost importance, indicating that reforestation is still possible despite the strong agricultural and demographic pressures the Ethiopian highlands are currently facing.

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Hunter-gatherers of the high-altitude Afromontane forest – the Holocene occupation of Mount Dendi, Ethiopia

Cited by 3 publications

References 60 publications

Stratigraphy and Chronology of Sodicho Rockshelter – A New Sedimentological Record of Past Environmental Changes and Human Settlement Phases in Southwestern Ethiopia

Stratigraphy and Chronology of Sodicho Rockshelter – A New Sedimentological Record of Past Environmental Changes and Human Settlement Phases in Southwestern Ethiopia

A Phytolith Supported Biosphere-Hydrosphere Predictive Model for Southern Ethiopia: Insights into Paleoenvironmental Changes and Human Landscape Preferences since the Last Glacial Maximum

Afromontane forests and human impact after the African Humid Period: wood charcoal from the Sodicho rock shelter, SW Ethiopian highlands

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