Making points: the Middle Stone Age lithic industry of the Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana

Sigrid Staurset; Sheila Coulson; Sarah Mothulatshipi; Sallie Burrough; David Nash; David Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107823

Making points: the Middle Stone Age lithic industry of the Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana

Sigrid Staurset, Sheila Coulson, Sarah Mothulatshipi, Sallie Burrough, David Nash, David Thomas

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Studies of early human occupation of Africa over recent decades have profoundly changed how we understand our early ancestors, their inventiveness and adaptability. The spread of Homo sapiens to new environmental settings, the expansion of diet breadth, the development of more complex technology and the use of personal ornaments have all been recognised at well-documented Middle Stone Age (MSA) cave and shelter sites, particularly along the South African coast. This paper addresses two under-represented aspects of Middle Stone Age research: open-air sites and the African interior. We present here recent surveys and excavations in Ntwetwe Pan, Botswana, a remote, open landscape, that formerly contained a vast palaeolake. The five excavated sites yielded assemblages composed exclusively of silcrete, a locally available raw material. The lithic industry at these sites was deposited during dry periods following palaeolake high stands dating to c.128-81 ka and c. 72-57 ka. This industry, characterized by a limited toolkit dominated by highly retouched
unifacial and bifacial points, is not previously documented but shows similarities to dated MSA sites of equivalent age in north-western Botswana and Zimbabwe. Combined, these exposed open-air sites document the successful MSA adaptation to a hydrologically dynamic, interior landscape and arguably display MSA behavioural patterns that complement and balance the more well documented perspectives from coastal cave and shelter sites.

Original language	English
Article number	107823
Number of pages	21
Journal	Quaternary Science Reviews
Volume	301
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107823
Publication status	Published - 28 Dec 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
These investigations were carried out under research permit EWT 8/36/4 XXXV (9), issued April 22, 2016 by the Botswana Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (ref EWT 8/36/4 XXXV (52)), extended on June 29, 2018 by the Botswana Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism (ref ENT 8/36/4 XXXXII (43)). This interdisciplinary project was funded by the Leverhulme Trust, Research Project Grant RPG-2015- 344. Additional funding and aid were gratefully received from the University of Oxford, the University of Brighton, the University of Botswana, the University of Oslo and Norsk Arkeologisk Selskap. We also wish to acknowledge the continued support of the National Museum of Botswana for laboratory space, the loan of equipment and storage and especially to the Head of Archaeology, Phillip Segadika, for his continued support and advice. Our appreciation goes to Ralph Bousfield and Uncharted Africa for generous advice, access to field research station, facilities and storage, and field assistance and to the owners and staff of Gweta Lodge for field assistance and sharing of local knowledge. Our thanks to Eric Walker for his continued assistance. We would like to thank Metin Eren, of Kent State University, and an anonymous reviewer for positive and helpful suggestions to improve the manuscript. Most of all, we wish to express our gratitude and appreciation to University of Botswana students Oratile Ramore, Cathrine Legabe, Jane Masisi, Topo Mpho Chengeta, Casper Lekgetho and Agang Motlaleng for their diligence and contributions to archaeology through their fieldwork in Ntwetwe Pan.

Funding Information:
This interdisciplinary project was funded by the Leverhulme Trust , Research Project Grant RPG-2015- 344 . Additional funding and aid were gratefully received from the University of Oxford , the University of Brighton , the University of Botswana, the University of Oslo and Norsk Arkeologisk Selskap . We also wish to acknowledge the continued support of the National Museum of Botswana for laboratory space, the loan of equipment and storage and especially to the Head of Archaeology, Phillip Segadika, for his continued support and advice. Our appreciation goes to Ralph Bousfield and Uncharted Africa for generous advice, access to field research station, facilities and storage, and field assistance and to the owners and staff of Gweta Lodge for field assistance and sharing of local knowledge. Our thanks to Eric Walker for his continued assistance.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022

Keywords

Middle Stone Age
lithic technology
lithic industry
Makgadikgadi Basin
landscape archaeology
Lithic technology
Lithic industry
Landscape archaeology

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10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107823Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Making points: the Middle Stone Age lithic industry of the Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana",

abstract = "Studies of early human occupation of Africa over recent decades have profoundly changed how we understand our early ancestors, their inventiveness and adaptability. The spread of Homo sapiens to new environmental settings, the expansion of diet breadth, the development of more complex technology and the use of personal ornaments have all been recognised at well-documented Middle Stone Age (MSA) cave and shelter sites, particularly along the South African coast. This paper addresses two under-represented aspects of Middle Stone Age research: open-air sites and the African interior. We present here recent surveys and excavations in Ntwetwe Pan, Botswana, a remote, open landscape, that formerly contained a vast palaeolake. The five excavated sites yielded assemblages composed exclusively of silcrete, a locally available raw material. The lithic industry at these sites was deposited during dry periods following palaeolake high stands dating to c.128-81 ka and c. 72-57 ka. This industry, characterized by a limited toolkit dominated by highly retouchedunifacial and bifacial points, is not previously documented but shows similarities to dated MSA sites of equivalent age in north-western Botswana and Zimbabwe. Combined, these exposed open-air sites document the successful MSA adaptation to a hydrologically dynamic, interior landscape and arguably display MSA behavioural patterns that complement and balance the more well documented perspectives from coastal cave and shelter sites.",

keywords = "Middle Stone Age, lithic technology, lithic industry, Makgadikgadi Basin, landscape archaeology, Lithic technology, Lithic industry, Landscape archaeology",

author = "Sigrid Staurset and Sheila Coulson and Sarah Mothulatshipi and Sallie Burrough and David Nash and David Thomas",

note = "Funding Information: These investigations were carried out under research permit EWT 8/36/4 XXXV (9), issued April 22, 2016 by the Botswana Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (ref EWT 8/36/4 XXXV (52)), extended on June 29, 2018 by the Botswana Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism (ref ENT 8/36/4 XXXXII (43)). This interdisciplinary project was funded by the Leverhulme Trust, Research Project Grant RPG-2015- 344. Additional funding and aid were gratefully received from the University of Oxford, the University of Brighton, the University of Botswana, the University of Oslo and Norsk Arkeologisk Selskap. We also wish to acknowledge the continued support of the National Museum of Botswana for laboratory space, the loan of equipment and storage and especially to the Head of Archaeology, Phillip Segadika, for his continued support and advice. Our appreciation goes to Ralph Bousfield and Uncharted Africa for generous advice, access to field research station, facilities and storage, and field assistance and to the owners and staff of Gweta Lodge for field assistance and sharing of local knowledge. Our thanks to Eric Walker for his continued assistance. We would like to thank Metin Eren, of Kent State University, and an anonymous reviewer for positive and helpful suggestions to improve the manuscript. Most of all, we wish to express our gratitude and appreciation to University of Botswana students Oratile Ramore, Cathrine Legabe, Jane Masisi, Topo Mpho Chengeta, Casper Lekgetho and Agang Motlaleng for their diligence and contributions to archaeology through their fieldwork in Ntwetwe Pan. Funding Information: This interdisciplinary project was funded by the Leverhulme Trust , Research Project Grant RPG-2015- 344 . Additional funding and aid were gratefully received from the University of Oxford , the University of Brighton , the University of Botswana, the University of Oslo and Norsk Arkeologisk Selskap . We also wish to acknowledge the continued support of the National Museum of Botswana for laboratory space, the loan of equipment and storage and especially to the Head of Archaeology, Phillip Segadika, for his continued support and advice. Our appreciation goes to Ralph Bousfield and Uncharted Africa for generous advice, access to field research station, facilities and storage, and field assistance and to the owners and staff of Gweta Lodge for field assistance and sharing of local knowledge. Our thanks to Eric Walker for his continued assistance. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022",

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Making points: the Middle Stone Age lithic industry of the Makgadikgadi Basin, Botswana

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

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