The Middle to Later Stone Age Technological Transition in East Africa. New Data from Mumba Rockshelter Bed V (Tanzania) and their Implications for the Origin of Modern Human Behavior

Variability in the Middle Stone Age of Eastern Africa

“…4, top; table 1). Many of these artifact types are also found in the early LSA at Enkapune ya Muto (Ambrose 1998), and the LMSA sites in which they are found have been characterized by some as transitional between the MSA and the LSA (e.g., Diez-Martín et al 2009;Marks and Conard 2008). Our quantitative analysis supports their characterization as distinct from other "typical" EMSA and LMSA assemblages.…”

“…2l) resulting from the production of small flakes using an anvil are also known from ESA (Oldowan) sites (e.g., de la Torre 2004). Bipolar cores occur irregularly at MSA sites in eastern Africa, including Nasera and Mumba rockshelters in Tanzania (Diez-Martín et al 2009;Eren, Diez-Martin, and Domínguez-Rodrigo 2013;Mehlman 1989) and Cartwright's site in Kenya (Waweru 2007). Blade or bladelet production ( fig.…”

“…Backed elements persist in low numbers across multiple strata, coincident with a reduction in the frequency of Levallois cores and points and an increased use of bipolar percussion for flake production from ∼30 to 68 ka (Eren, Diez-Martin, and Domínguez-Rodrigo 2013;Gliganic et al 2011;Marks and Conard 2008;Mehlman 1989Mehlman , 1991. The nature of the change is such that the MSA or LSA attribution of a number of industries at Mumba is uncertain (Diez-Martín et al 2009). Similar combinations of typically MSA (e.g., points) and LSA (e.g., backed pieces) artifacts are found at the Mochena Borago sequence from Ethiopia (Brandt et al 2012).…”

Genetic and archaeological perspectives on the initial modern human colonization of southern Asia

“…5). This is reflected in both South and East Africa by industries belonging broadly to the so-called "Howiesons Poort" variant, which, although inevitably regionally variable over an area the size and with the environmental diversity of sub-Saharan Africa, collectively exhibit all of the most distinctive features that characterize the earlier stages of the Indian microlithic technologies (3,(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53) (Figs. 3 and 4 and Archaeology).…”

Characterizing Archaeological Assemblages from Eastern Lake Natron, Tanzania: Results of Fieldwork Conducted in the Area

“…Comparing the Mode 3 industries of Tanzania with those recovered from better dated sites in southern Africa, it can be argued that the hunting and gathering communities who made and used Mode 3 industries date to between 200,000 and 20,000 years ago. The dominating assemblage from East Natron has all the typological and technical attributes that would qualify it as MSA, although as remarked elsewhere, there is a possibility of the occurrence of MSA/ LSA, perhaps comparable to the Mumba industry (Mehlmann 1989), although the recognition of MSA/LSA is questioned by some scholars (Diez-Martín et al 2009). Typological attributes for the MSA include implements normally associated with the MSA such as diminutive bifaces, bifacial points, large Levalloisian points, Levalloisian flakes and blades, discoidal cores and core axes.…”