Phytolith Palaeoenvironments at Mumba Rock Shelter

Abstract

The rock shelter site of Mumba in northern Tanzania plays a pivotal role in the overall study of the late Pleistocene archaeology of East Africa with an emphasis on the Middle to Later Stone Age transition. We used phytolith analysis to reconstruct general plant habitat physiognomy around the site from the onset of the late Pleistocene to recent times, tallying 4246 individual phytoliths from 19 archaeological samples. Statistical analysis explored phytolith richness, diversity, dominance, and evenness, along with principal components to compare phytolith distributions over the site’s sequence with known plant habitats today. Generally, the phytolith record of Mumba signifies paleoenvironments with analogs in the Somalia – Masai bushland and grassland, as well as Zambezian woodlands.

The Reconstruction of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene Vegetation Dynamics in Lake Eyasi Basin, Northern Tanzania

“…yr. BP is distinguished by high percentages of Cyperaceae and relatively high Poaceae, with sporadic increases of herbaceous taxa such as Amaranthaceae. This suggests a series of dry episodes within and around the basin (Mercader et al 2021). The pollen data (Figure 4) suggests a series of relatively dry with limited humid periods manifested through the presence of drought-related herbaceous taxa (Amaranthaceae and Aloe) and woodland taxa (Acalypha, Cordia, Commiphora, and Vachelia).…”

“…(Maundu and Tengnas 2005). In East Africa, most Vachelia is found in open or bushy grassland and woodland, especially on foothills and plains, where they are often the most dominant trees (Mercader et al 2021), as in the Lake Eyasi Basin case today. Hyphaene (Palmae) pollen is variable in different levels in the upper part of the record.…”

“…However, the linking of climatic change with specific cultural transformations at the Lake Eyasi Basin has been challenging for many reasons. The reasons include severe climatic variability since the last interglacial maximum (Cohen et al 2007), the synchronous nature of environment changes (Mumbi et al 2008), and the existence of uneven regional habitats (Mercader et al 2021). The influence of environmental changes on humans and innovations lack high-resolution environmental proxies from archaeological contexts across East Africa.…”

“…The areas have a broad exposure of podocarps, Juniperus procera, and Olea capensis and parallel biota characterize the Pleistocene pollen spectral in the lakeshore (Domínguez-Rodrigo et al 2007). Analyses of both present and past biota from pollen and phytoliths, combined with alluvial grain sand and mudflats from an old fan delta, demonstrate considerable variations in the regional environment at different phases (Middle Pleistocene, Upper Pleistocene, early Holocene and the present) (Bushozi et al 2017, Mercader et al 2021. This trend shows that microhabitat variability and ecological diversity were very important in human evolution (Mercader et al 2021).…”

“…Analyses of both present and past biota from pollen and phytoliths, combined with alluvial grain sand and mudflats from an old fan delta, demonstrate considerable variations in the regional environment at different phases (Middle Pleistocene, Upper Pleistocene, early Holocene and the present) (Bushozi et al 2017, Mercader et al 2021. This trend shows that microhabitat variability and ecological diversity were very important in human evolution (Mercader et al 2021). Even though the Eyasi basin is dry and open, some microhabitats would have provided assorted foodstuffs.…”