Table of Contents

Main

Articles
Pan the Tool-Maker
Latest Homo erectus of Java
Neandertal mtDNA
Middle Stone Age Bone Industry from Katanda
Pedra Furanda
Venus Figures

Web Sites
The Ancient Indus Valley
Stolen Stones: The Modern Sack of Nineveh
Clovis and Beyond
Chimpanzee Cultures
Oldstoneage.com

ROM Visits
Egypt Exhibit
Evolution of Man Exhibit

Bibliography 		Yellen, J.E., Brooks, A.S., Cornelissen, E., Mehlman, M.J., Stewart, K. 1995. A Middle Stone Age Worked Bone Industry from Katanda, Upper Semliki Valley, Zaire. Science. v. 268, p. 553-556.

The authors of this article have found that a Middle Stone Age (~90 000 BP) bone industry may have existed in the Western Rift Valley of Zaire. They have so far found three sites at Katanda to support this.

The artefacts that belong to this industry are a daggar-like object, unbarbed points, and barbed points. There is evidence to suggest that these artefacts may have been a part of a marine subsistence specialisation.

The authors think that this industry must have been associated with Homo sapiens, because of the level of complexity of the bone tools. They think that this then supports the theory that modern Homo sapiens evolved and behaviourally developed in Africa. The article details exactly what was excavated at each site, and how they indentified each artefact.


This picture is an example of a worked bone tool from one of the sites at Katanda.

The article says that nuclear families produced clusters of artefacts. Besides a footnote they offer no evidence to support this claim. Why is a nuclear family of a man, women and children more apt to leave such a record? What about two men and children? Or a single parent and children?

Also, I don't think they offer convincing evidence that this industry was neccessarily made by Homo sapiens. They never explain why another hominid couldn't have made this industry.

Overall this article was very interesting, and opened a door to early hominid behaviour and subsistence. It's really fascinating to understand what life was like in the Middle Stone Age, epecially comparing hunting marine animals with today's microwaves and fast food.

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