.2018 May 9;9(1):1832.

doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04057-3.

78,000-year-old record of Middle and Later stone age innovation in an East African tropical forest

Ceri Shipton^{1 2 3}, Patrick Roberts⁴, Will Archer^{5 6}, Simon J Armitage^{7 8}, Caesar Bita⁹, James Blinkhorn^{10 11}, Colin Courtney-Mustaphi¹², Alison Crowther^{13 14}, Richard Curtis¹⁵, Francesco d' Errico^{8 16}, Katerina Douka^{10 17}, Patrick Faulkner¹⁸, Huw S Groucutt^{10 19}, Richard Helm²⁰, Andy I R Herries¹⁵, Severinus Jembe²¹, Nikos Kourampas^{22 23}, Julia Lee-Thorp¹⁹, Rob Marchant¹¹, Julio Mercader²⁴, Africa Pitarch Marti^{16 25}, Mary E Prendergast²⁶, Ben Rowson²⁷, Amini Tengeza²¹, Ruth Tibesasa²⁸, Tom S White^{29 30}, Michael D Petraglia^{10 31}, Nicole Boivin³²

Affiliations

¹ McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DZ, UK. ceri.shipton@anu.edu.au.
² British Institute in Eastern Africa, Laikipia Road, Kileleshwa, Nairobi, Kenya. ceri.shipton@anu.edu.au.
³ Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia. ceri.shipton@anu.edu.au.
⁴ Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, Jena, D-07745, Germany. roberts@shh.mpg.de.
⁵ Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Pl. 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
⁶ Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, Western Cape, South Africa.
⁷ Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 OEX, UK.
⁸ SSF Centre for Early Sapiens Behavior (SapienCe), University of Bergen, Øysteinsgate 3, Postboks 7805, Bergen, 5020, Norway.
⁹ Malindi Museum, National Museums of Kenya, Malindi, Kenya.
¹⁰ Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, Jena, D-07745, Germany.
¹¹ Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, 12-14 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7WZ, UK.
¹² Department Environment, York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5NG, UK.
¹³ British Institute in Eastern Africa, Laikipia Road, Kileleshwa, Nairobi, Kenya.
¹⁴ School of Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
¹⁵ Department of Archaeology and History, The Australian Archaeomagnetism Laboratory, Palaeoscience Labs, La Trobe University, Melbourne Campus, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia.
¹⁶ UMR 5199 PACEA, CNRS/Université de Bordeaux, Bâtiment B18, Allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, CS, 50023 - 33615, PESSAC CEDEX, France.
¹⁷ Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK.
¹⁸ Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Archaeology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
¹⁹ School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 36 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2PG, UK.
²⁰ Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 92A Broad Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2LU, UK.
²¹ Coastal Forests Conservation Unit, National Museums of Kenya, Kilifi, Kenya.
²² Centre for Open Learning, University of Edinburgh, Paterson's Land, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ, Scotland, UK.
²³ Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK.
²⁴ Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
²⁵ Grup de Recerca Aplicada al Patrimoni Cultural (GRAPAC), Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Campus Bellaterra, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain.
²⁶ Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Saint Louis University, Avenida del Valle 34, Madrid, 28003, Spain.
²⁷ Invertebrate Biodiversity, National Museum Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NP, UK.
²⁸ Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Pretoria, cnr Lynnwood Road and Roper Street, Hatfield, South Africa.
²⁹ University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK.
³⁰ Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK.
³¹ Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560, USA.
³² Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, Jena, D-07745, Germany. boivin@shh.mpg.de.

PMID:29743572
PMCID: PMC5943315
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04057-3

78,000-year-old record of Middle and Later stone age innovation in an East African tropical forest

Ceri Shipton et al. Nat Commun.2018.

.2018 May 9;9(1):1832.

doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04057-3.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3DZ, UK. ceri.shipton@anu.edu.au.
² British Institute in Eastern Africa, Laikipia Road, Kileleshwa, Nairobi, Kenya. ceri.shipton@anu.edu.au.
³ Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia. ceri.shipton@anu.edu.au.
⁴ Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, Jena, D-07745, Germany. roberts@shh.mpg.de.
⁵ Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Pl. 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.
⁶ Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, Western Cape, South Africa.
⁷ Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 OEX, UK.
⁸ SSF Centre for Early Sapiens Behavior (SapienCe), University of Bergen, Øysteinsgate 3, Postboks 7805, Bergen, 5020, Norway.
⁹ Malindi Museum, National Museums of Kenya, Malindi, Kenya.
¹⁰ Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, Jena, D-07745, Germany.
¹¹ Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, 12-14 Abercromby Square, Liverpool, L69 7WZ, UK.
¹² Department Environment, York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5NG, UK.
¹³ British Institute in Eastern Africa, Laikipia Road, Kileleshwa, Nairobi, Kenya.
¹⁴ School of Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
¹⁵ Department of Archaeology and History, The Australian Archaeomagnetism Laboratory, Palaeoscience Labs, La Trobe University, Melbourne Campus, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia.
¹⁶ UMR 5199 PACEA, CNRS/Université de Bordeaux, Bâtiment B18, Allée Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, CS, 50023 - 33615, PESSAC CEDEX, France.
¹⁷ Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK.
¹⁸ Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Archaeology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
¹⁹ School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, 36 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2PG, UK.
²⁰ Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 92A Broad Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2LU, UK.
²¹ Coastal Forests Conservation Unit, National Museums of Kenya, Kilifi, Kenya.
²² Centre for Open Learning, University of Edinburgh, Paterson's Land, Edinburgh, EH8 8AQ, Scotland, UK.
²³ Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK.
²⁴ Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada.
²⁵ Grup de Recerca Aplicada al Patrimoni Cultural (GRAPAC), Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biosciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Campus Bellaterra, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain.
²⁶ Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Saint Louis University, Avenida del Valle 34, Madrid, 28003, Spain.
²⁷ Invertebrate Biodiversity, National Museum Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NP, UK.
²⁸ Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Pretoria, cnr Lynnwood Road and Roper Street, Hatfield, South Africa.
²⁹ University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK.
³⁰ Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK.
³¹ Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560, USA.
³² Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Kahlaische Strasse 10, Jena, D-07745, Germany. boivin@shh.mpg.de.

PMID:29743572
PMCID: PMC5943315
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04057-3

Erratum in

Publisher Correction: 78,000-year-old record of Middle and Later Stone Age innovation in an East African tropical forest.
Shipton C, Roberts P, Archer W, Armitage SJ, Bita C, Blinkhorn J, Courtney-Mustaphi C, Crowther A, Curtis R, Errico F, Douka K, Faulkner P, Groucutt HS, Helm R, Herries AIR, Jembe S, Kourampas N, Lee-Thorp J, Marchant R, Mercader J, Marti AP, Prendergast ME, Rowson B, Tengeza A, Tibesasa R, White TS, Petraglia MD, Boivin N.Shipton C, et al.Nat Commun. 2018 Jun 5;9(1):2242. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04753-0.Nat Commun. 2018.PMID:29872049Free PMC article.

Abstract

The Middle to Later Stone Age transition in Africa has been debated as a significant shift in human technological, cultural, and cognitive evolution. However, the majority of research on this transition is currently focused on southern Africa due to a lack of long-term, stratified sites across much of the African continent. Here, we report a 78,000-year-long archeological record from Panga ya Saidi, a cave in the humid coastal forest of Kenya. Following a shift in toolkits ~67,000 years ago, novel symbolic and technological behaviors assemble in a non-unilinear manner. Against a backdrop of a persistent tropical forest-grassland ecotone, localized innovations better characterize the Late Pleistocene of this part of East Africa than alternative emphases on dramatic revolutions or migrations.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Environmental setting and PYS stratigraphic section.a The location of PYS in the tropical moist forest of coastal East Africa, situated in the Ditzoni upland, southeastern Kenya.b The stratigraphic sequence of PYS showing the Layers and modeled ages, with example of a micromorphological thin section, illustrating the rich biogenic/anthropogenic contents in the sediments (Sh shell, Bn bone, Lt lithic, Ch charcoal). Note that Layer 12 was not continuous across the whole excavation and did not occur in this section. Age estimates are shown as the median of the highest posterior density age range for simplicity

**Fig. 2**
Selected artifacts from PYS.a Levallois core from Layer 11.b Two backed lithic artifacts from Layer 11.c Backed lithic artifact from Layer 3.d Notched bone from Layer 8.e Notched bone from Layer 9.f Ocher crayon from Layer 10.g Ostrich eggshell bead from Layer 8.hConus shell bead from Layer 16.i Gastropod shell bead from Layer 4

**Fig. 3**
The palaeoenvironmental and human occupation proxies from PYS. From left to right: Sedimentology (LM(SC) sandy clayey loam, LM(PS) pebbly sandy loam, LM(PSA) pebbly sandy ashy loam, LM(SA) sandy ashy loam); Depth; Layer divisions; Box and whisker plots of stable oxygen and carbon isotope values of mammalian teeth; Phytoliths, showing the proportion of grass, palm, and woody taxa; Percentage of different bovids in Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI); Terrestrial mollusk rarefied species count; Magnetic susceptibility (XLF and XFD%); Biogenic content of micromorphology thin sections; Microcharcoal abundance; Proportions of selected faunal groups as a percentage of total tetrapod MNI; Lithic density; Lithic material types; Lithic weight (mean debitage weight)

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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78,000-year-old record of Middle and Later stone age innovation in an East African tropical forest

Affiliations

78,000-year-old record of Middle and Later stone age innovation in an East African tropical forest

Authors

Affiliations

Erratum in

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

Publication types

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Other Literature Sources