The Transition from the Later Stone Age to Iron Age in Kondoa, Central Tanzania

Kessy, Emanuel Thomas

doi:10.1007/s10437-013-9141-4

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Local sources likely exist and may have been used, given the abundance of ochre at archaeological and painted sites in Kondoa. One probable source are the iron-rich sediments that provided the raw material for iron smelting at Kisese II and other Iron Age and more recent sites in the region [ 42 , 57 , 58 , 103 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Middle and Later Stone Age chronology of Kisese II rockshelter (UNESCO World Heritage Kondoa Rock-Art Sites), Tanzania

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The archaeology of East Africa during the last ~65,000 years plays a central role in debates about the origins and dispersal of modern humans, Homo sapiens. Despite the historical importance of the region to these discussions, reliable chronologies for the nature, tempo, and timing of human behavioral changes seen among Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) archaeological assemblages are sparse. The Kisese II rockshelter in the Kondoa region of Tanzania, originally excavated in 1956, preserves a ≥ 6-m-thick archaeological succession that spans the MSA/LSA transition, with lithic artifacts such as Levallois and bladelet cores and backed microliths, the recurrent use of red ochre, and >5,000 ostrich eggshell beads and bead fragments. Twenty-nine radiocarbon dates on ostrich eggshell carbonate make Kisese II one of the most robust chronological sequences for understanding archaeological change over the last ~47,000 years in East Africa. In particular, ostrich eggshell beads and backed microliths appear by 46–42 ka cal BP and occur throughout overlying Late Pleistocene and Holocene strata. Changes in lithic technology suggest an MSA/LSA transition that began 39–34.3 ka, with typical LSA technologies in place by the Last Glacial Maximum. The timing of these changes demonstrates the time-transgressive nature of behavioral innovations often linked to the origins of modern humans, even within a single region of Africa.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Middle and Later Stone Age chronology of Kisese II rockshelter (UNESCO World Heritage Kondoa Rock-Art Sites), Tanzania

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In Tanzania outside of the area with pastoralists, Iron Age farmers encountered Later Stone Age hunter-gatherers. The archaeological signatures of these encounters in southern Tanzania, where IRAP conducts field research, have only become of interest recently (Kessy 2005(Kessy , 2013. The Late Iron Age encompasses the period from around 1,000 AD up to and including the historic period.…”

Section: Archaeology and The History Of Tanzaniamentioning

confidence: 99%

A German Rifle Casing and Chief Mkwawa of the Wahehe: the Colonial and Post-Colonial Significance of Mlambalasi Rockshelter, Iringa Region, Tanzania

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During the 2010 excavations of Mlambalasi rockshelter, Iringa Region, Tanzania, a single rifle bullet casing was recovered. Analysis of this casing found that it was manufactured in 1877 at the munitions factory in Danzig for the German infantry’s Mauser 71 rifle. This casing is thus directly linked to the period of German colonization of Tanganyika, during which Iringa was a key centre of anti-colonial resistance. Mlambalasi was the location of the last stand of Chief Mkwawa of the Hehe people, and this bullet casing provides a tangible link to his uprising during the 1890s. In light of this colonial context and our ongoing research at Mlambalasi, this find is used to illustrate that a single artifact can reinforce multiple narratives about the past and the significance of an archaeological site.

show abstract

Beyond the Coastalscapes: Preindustrial Social and Political Networks in East Africa

Kusimba

Dussubieux

2013

Afr Archaeol Rev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Transition from the Later Stone Age to Iron Age in Kondoa, Central Tanzania

Cited by 10 publications

References 24 publications

Middle and Later Stone Age chronology of Kisese II rockshelter (UNESCO World Heritage Kondoa Rock-Art Sites), Tanzania

Middle and Later Stone Age chronology of Kisese II rockshelter (UNESCO World Heritage Kondoa Rock-Art Sites), Tanzania

A German Rifle Casing and Chief Mkwawa of the Wahehe: the Colonial and Post-Colonial Significance of Mlambalasi Rockshelter, Iringa Region, Tanzania

Beyond the Coastalscapes: Preindustrial Social and Political Networks in East Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About