Poison arrows and bone utensils in late Pleistocene eastern Africa: evidence from Kuumbi Cave, Zanzibar

Abstract

Most of our current knowledge of late Pleistocene African bone technology is drawn from southern African sites, with recent discoveries indicating that bone-and stone-tipped arrows (propelled by a bow) were in use prior to 60,000 years BP. Integration of archaeological with ethnographic data similarly suggests that hunting with poison-tipped arrows on the African continent has an antiquity of at least 24,000 years. Unfortunately, similar analysis of material from eastern Africa is largely absent and consequently, with the sole exception of barbed points, we know very little regarding osseous technology in this region and how similar or dissimilar it is to contexts located further south. This paper presents a small assemblage of seven bone artefacts recovered from the late Pleistocene deposits of Kuumbi Cave, Zanzibar. Comparison of the bone projectile points, a bone awl and a notched bone tube with ethnographic and archaeological material from throughout the Sub-Saharan region suggests that, as elsewhere in Africa, bone technology was a central element in the Later Stone Age material culture repertoire of Kuumbi Cave's inhabitants. It also suggests that arrow points coated with poison were in use in eastern Africa around 13,000 years BP.ABSTRAIT Actuellement, la plupart de nos connaissances concernant la technologie des os en Afrique à la fin du Pléistocène dérivent de sites d'Afrique australe, avec des découvertes récentes qui indiquent que les flèches avec des pointes en os ou en pierre, propulsées par un arc, étaient en usage avant 60,000 ans BP. En outre, l'intégration des données archéologiques et ethnographiques suggère que la chasse avec des flèches

Reinvestigation of Kuumbi Cave, Zanzibar, reveals Later Stone Age coastal habitation, early Holocene abandonment and Iron Age reoccupation

“…We present our results by phase below. Specialist reports on the long-term cave and landscape evolution (Kourampas et al 2015), bone tools (Langley et al 2016) and fauna can be found elsewhere.…”

“…The only cultural materials recovered from this deposit were two pieces of worked bone. One is a point, the form of which is akin to those from the Phase 3 layers, while the other is a notched piece of bovid upper limb bone (Langley et al 2016). Both these items show signs of having been worked by stone tools (Langley et al 2016), so their absence from the assemblage would seem to reflect changing site use in the vicinity of our excavation area, rather than technological change.…”

“…This analysis was undertaken to assess whether these sherds were possibly derived from the same vessel and were spread through multiple contexts as a result of post-depositional disturbances rather than as a reflection of archaeological distribution. Meanwhile, bone artefacts were examined using technological and trace analysis methods and these findings are presented in Langley et al (2016). A total of 17.6 kg of bone was recovered from Trench 10.…”

“…A number of bone artefacts were recovered from the late Pleistocene occupation layers (see Langley et al 2016 for details). Context 1019 contained a single piece of worked bone, the overall morphology of which and the wear patterns on its distal tip are consistent with it having been used as an awl.…”

The Middle/Later Stone Age transition and cultural dynamics of late Pleistocene East Africa

“…Other behaviorally significant artifact types at some Middle and Later Stone age sites in East Africa. (a) Ostrich eggshell beads and production debris, spit XVII, Kisese II; (b) ochre‐stained “palette” or lower grindstone, spit III, Kisese II; (c) ochre fragment with grinding facets and striations, spit VI, Kisese II; (d) notched/incised bone projectile point, context 1015, Kuumbi Cave; (e) gastropod and sea shell ( Conus ) beads, layers 4–16, Panga ya Saidi; (f, g) upper grindstones, bed V, Mumba . Copyright from University of Tübingen (h) notched or incised bone fragment, layer 8, Panga ya Saidi.…”