Lithics use at Kansyore sites in East Africa: technological organisation at four recently excavated sites in Nyanza Province, Kenya

Abstract

Recently a series of active investigations have been launched on aspects of the Kansyore tradition such as ceramics, subsistence and chronology. However, Kansyore lithic assemblages have been little studied and its quartz-based technology has often been simply dubbed as ‘non-descript.’ Here I attempt an overview of the organisation of Kansyore lithic technology based on assemblages from four recently excavated sites in Nyanza Province, Kenya. Kansyore lithics show apparent longevity of use, remaining essentially unchanged between c. 6000 cal. BC and cal. AD 500, despite major changes in ceramics and subsistence economy. Based on the lithics it seems that early Kansyore settlement patterns could have been more mobile, becoming increasingly residentially sedentary over time. However, this was not a complete change, but instead a matter of increasing emphasis on sedentism, since even some early Kansyore sites are indicative of moderate delayed-return subsistence systems and seasonally sedentary settlement patterns. These interpretations based on studying Kansyore stone tool assemblages are also supported by the analyses of other finds from the studied sites.

Récemment, une série de recherches sur des aspects du Kansyore, comme la poterie, la subsistance et la chronologie, ont été réalisées. Cependant, les ensembles lithiques associés au Kansyore n′ont pas reçu la même attention et la technologie réalisée fondamentalement sur quartz a souvent été décrite comme “non descriptive.” Dans ce travail, on essaie de faire un sommaire de la technologie lithique du Kansyore, en employant des ensembles procédant de quatre sites récemment fouillés dans la région de Nyanza, Kenya. Cette technologie montre une longévité malgré les changements importants documentés dans la poterie et l′économie de subsistance, pendant une période prolongée (depuis 6000 av. J.-C. jusqu′à 500 ap. J.-C., dates calibrées). D′après les restes lithiques, il semble que le Kansyore initial ait été un temps de mobilité au commencement avec une sédentarisation progressive. Ceci ne résulte pas d'un changement complète de la subsistance mais d'une emphase dans la sédentarisation, puisque plusieurs sites de Kansyore initial montrent déjà un système de subsistance de retour différé et une sédentarisation saisonnière. Ces interprétations, fondées sur les restes lithiques, sont aussi supportées par d′autres études dans les mêmes sites.

Keywords:

• Kansyore
• hunter-gatherers
• stone tools
• technology
• East Africa

Acknowledgements

I want to first and foremost express sincere gratitude to Sanna and Sohvi, who tolerated me finishing this paper while trying to take care of our newborn baby girl Elsa at the same time. Owing to these circumstances, the current paper is perhaps not as wide-ranging and analytical as I originally hoped it to be, but it will be supplemented with the upcoming publications.

 I wish to thank the anonymous referees and Mary Prendergast for their valuable and insightful comments. I also want to present thanks to Mary for asking me to write this paper, as well as for correcting my use of the English language. Dr Paul Lane is owed thanks for giving me the idea of lithic analyses from the Nyanza sites in the first place, and for arranging the finds material for the study. I also like to thank all the people I have been working and socialising with both on field and in the lab, especially Dr Ceri Ashley, Mr Kennedy Gitu, Mr Martti Koponen, Mr Vesa Laulumaa, Mr Joseph Mutua, and last but not least Mr Gilbert Oteyo. Gilbert is always pleasant, hospitable and knowledgeable company when walking the Victoria Nyanza shores! As usual, all the mistakes are my own responsibility.

Notes

1. Due to a paucity of research funding and time, the technological variables were recorded from random samples of complete flakes/blades drawn from each studied context (n = 200 from Usenge 1, n = 200 from Usenge 3 – K, n = 100 from Usenge 3 – U, n = 400 from Haa, and n = 400 from Wadh Lang'o).

2. For the abovementioned reasons, these measurements were carried out on 33 randomly selected scrapers: 28 from Wadh Lang'o (15 from the WL2 levels and 13 from the WL1 levels), 1 from Usenge 1, and 4 from the Usenge 3 – U levels.

3. GIUR is calculated as the ratio between the working edge thickness, edge angle, and maximum thickness, RPI as the length of retouched edge per total perimeter of the artefact, and RCI as the maximum width per maximum depth of the retouched edge.

4. Sampling was done in Units A–B at Wadh Lang'o and Unit A at Haa. At Wadh Lang'o, a 30% random sample was drawn from the Kansyore levels in Units A–B. At Haa, random samples were drawn from the following contexts of Unit A: 003 (37%), 005 (30%), 007 (75%), and 008 (82%). In the other trenches at Wadh Lang'o and at the Usenge sites the lithic assemblages were fully analysed.

5. The bipolar cores vs. pièces esquillées/outils écaillés (splintered pieces) debate has been discussed in depth by Nelson (1973), Siiriäinen (1977a, 1984) and Robertshaw (1990, 1991). Here, all the implements morphologically fitting into these classes were classified as bipolar cores, since no clearly tool-like pièces esquillées/outils écaillés were encountered. It is completely possible that these pieces were used as tools after their main role as cores.