Dissertation Research: Technological Approach to the Acheulian of Mozambique

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Harris Under the direction of Dr. John W. Harris, Ms. Paola Meneses will collect data for her doctoral dissertation. She will conduct archaeological fieldwork along the Umbeluzi and Changalane rivers in Southern Mozambique and analyze the resultant data. Previous work conducted by Ms. Meneses indicates that this area is rich in lithic remains associated with the Acheulean industry which covers the time span from ca. 1,250,000 to 125,000 years ago. The research consists of three parts. First a survey will be conducted to locate both surface and in situ materials. This will be followed by limited excavation to recover in place artifacts and to establish geological context. As part of this first stage, a geomorphological stages will be reconstructed and a chronological sequence will be developed. Secondly, lithic materials will be analyzed to determine formal attributes of the assemblages and to compare these with materials from South and Eastern Africa. Finally an experimental approach will be used to reconstruct the lithic manufacture process. On this basis it will be possible to map the distribution of lithic remains across the reconstructed landscapes and determine how these were used by Acheulean peoples. Africa provided the geographic cradle for humans and archaeologists wish to understand the processes which led to the emergence of both culturally and physically modern humans. Surprisingly little is known about the 1 million year plus time interval covered by the Acheulean and very few studies have employed modern analytic techniques. Ms. Meneses work will shed new light on how humans adapted during this interval. It will also provide data of interest to many archaeologists. Finally, this grant will assist in the training of a promising young archaeologist.