For Yous Data - Rock Tools From The Midpoint Rock Historic Menstruum Inwards Southward Africa Shows That Dissimilar Communities Were Connected

The tools - mainly blades as well as backed knives from the Howiesons Poort - were found inwards diverse layers inwards the Klipdrift Shelter, inwards the southern Cape inwards South Africa. They were examined past times a grouping of lithic experts, who found distinct similarities to tools from sites inwards South Africa's Western Cape, over 300km away, inwards detail amongst the Diepkloof Rock Shelter site.

This is an overview of the Klipdrift Complex from the bounding main
[Credit: Magnus Haaland]

"While regional specificities inwards the tools from the diverse sites exist, the similarities of Klipdrift Shelter amongst the site of Diepkloof Rock Shelter are astonishing," says Dr Katja Douze, the corresponding writer of the written report that was published inwards PLOS ONE.

The team, nether the leadership of Professor Christopher Henshilwood from Wits University as well as the University of Bergen's SapienCE Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour, examined thousands of stone tools that were excavated from vii layers that stand upwardly for a fourth dimension menses of betwixt 66 000 years agone as well as 59 000 years ago, to found the differences inwards stone tool pattern over time. They thus also compared the stone tools to diverse other sites inwards Howiesons Poort.

"The site of Klipdfrift Shelter is 1 of the few containing a long archaeological sequence that provides information on cultural changes over fourth dimension during the Howiesons Poort," says Douze. "This makes it perfect to written report the alter inwards civilization over time."

However, what was fifty-fifty to a greater extent than exciting for the researchers was the fact that for the starting fourth dimension time they could exhibit closely networked interaction betwixt distant communities through the means they designed stone tools.

These are examples of Howiesons Poort stone tools from Klipdrift
[Credit: Anne Delagnes as well as Gauthier Devilder]

"There was an most perfect agree betwixt the tools from the Klipdrift as well as Diepkloof shelters," says Douze. "This shows us that at that topographic point was regular interaction betwixt these ii communities."

"This is the starting fourth dimension time that nosotros tin pull such a parallel betwixt unlike sites based on robust sets of data, as well as exhibit that at that topographic point was mobility betwixt the ii sites. This is unique for the Middle Stone Age," says Douze.

The Middle Stone Age inwards Africa stretches from 350 000 years agone to 25 000 years agone as well as is a fundamental menses for agreement the evolution of the starting fourth dimension Homo sapiens, their behavioural changes through fourth dimension as well as their movements in-and-out of Africa.

Named after Howieson's Poort Shelter archaeological site close Grahamstown inwards South Africa, the Howiesons Poort is a specific techno-culture inside the Middle Stone Age that evolves inwards southern Africa after 100 000 years agone at the Diepkloof Shelter, but betwixt 66 000 - 59 000 years at most other Howiesons Poort sites. The characteristics of the Howiesons Poort are strongly distinctive from other Middle Stone Age industries equally it is characterised past times the production of small-scale blades as well as backed tools, used equally hunting armatures equally much equally for cutting flesh, spell other MSA industries exhibit flake, large blade as well as indicate productions.

This is the location of the Klipdrift Shelter as well as other South African Howiesons Poort sites
[Credit: Katja Douze]

The tools found inwards the deeper layers of the Klipdrift Shelter that stand upwardly for the before phases of the Howiesons Poort were found to live made from heat-treated silcrete, spell those from subsequently phases were made from less homogeneous rocks such equally quartz as well as quartzite. This alter happens together amongst changes inwards tool production strategies. "The changes over fourth dimension seems to reverberate cultural changes, rather than immediate alterations forced on the designers past times changes inwards climate", says Douze.

"Our preconceived thought of prehistoric groups is that they simply struggled to survive, but inwards fact they were real adaptable to environmental circumstances. There appear to live no synchrony betwixt modification inwards pattern choices as well as environmental changes. However, the aridification of the expanse over fourth dimension mightiness accept led to a real gradual alter that led to the destination of the Howiesons Poort."

The squad also attempted to found why as well as how the Howiesons Poort ended, as well as to encounter whether it came to a sudden, or gradual end.

"The refuse of the Howiesons Poort at Klipdrift Shelter shows a gradual as well as complex pattern of changes, from which the starting fourth dimension "symptoms" tin live observed much before than the concluding abandonment of typical Howiesons Poort technology scientific discipline as well as toolkits," says Douze.

"This does non back upwardly a catastrophic scenario involving alarming demographic drops or massive population replacements. The fact that a like pattern of gradual alter has been described for at to the lowest degree 3 other southern African Howiesons Poort sites (Rose Cottage Cave, Diepkloof Rock Shelter as well as Klasies River primary site), farther ascertains convergent evolutions inwards cultural trajectories rather than isolated groups promptly reacting to locally determined pressures."

Source: Wits University [November 09, 2018]

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