The Isimila stone age project

East Africa has long been associated with the origins of a number of hominin species, including our own genus Homo c. 2.3mya, and a material culture record now stretching back almost 3.3 million years. What is not so well known or documented is the Palaeolithic archaeology or behavioural record of hominins located outside the Rift Valley. One major Stone Age site, called Isimila, is located within a korongo (erosion gulley) on the Iringa plateau in Tanzania and has long been recognised as a site of international importance for understanding the behavioural complexity and plasticity of our hominin ancestors. One of the primary reasons for the importance of Isimila is the unique artefact record for a site outside the Rift Valley system present in both primary and secondary contexts consisting of thousands of handaxes - including enigmatic giant handaxes. Despite the international significance of Isimila, the archaeology, chronology, taphonomy and geomorphology of the site remain poorly understood, and in urgent need of re-examination.

The Isimila Stone Age Project is an international research collaboration led by Dr James Cole (University of Brighton) and Co-investigated by Dr John McNabb (University of Southampton), Dr Martin Bates (University of Wales Trinity St David) and Dr Pastory Bushozi (University of Dar es Salaam). The project was formed in order to revisit the famous Stone Age site of Isimila located on the Iringa plateau, Tanzania, close to the East African Rift Valley with a modern research focus and methodology.

Ismilia

Survey of Isimila korongo with Isimila Hill in the background

Project timeframe

The project will runs from March 2014 to March 2017.

The project is funded by

Museum-site-stich

Broad shot of the Isimila korongo looking south with one of the preserved 'museum floors' in the foreground

Project aims

In order to try and resolve the issues of chronology at Isimila, the project team collected 16 sediment samples through the range of stratigraphic contexts present at the site. The purpose of collecting the sediment samples was to enable a series of dating analyses through techniques such as Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) and post-IR infrared stimulated luminescence (pIRIR-SL). These analyses are still being processed and we will update these pages once we have the results.

In addition to trying to resolve the chronological questions surrounding Isimila, the project team also undertook a small raw material analysis study led by Dr John McNabb and funded through a small grant from the Society of Antiquaries, (London). The purpose of this study was to analyse the lithologies of raw material outcrops within a 5km radius of Isimila against a sample of Isimila handaxes using Portable X-Ray Florescence (PXRF). The aim was to identify potential raw material sources that may have been exploited by past hominins in the Isimila landscape. This in turn would shed light on past hominin raw material exploitation strategies, planning depth and the range of hominin movements. The results are still undergoing analysis and will be updated as the project progresses.

Ismila-2

Isimila korongo looking north with the open air museum hut in the middle ground

Isimila-Panaorama

Overview of the Isimila korongo

Project findings and impact

The project is in progress, with a completion date of March 2017. Key results and links to publications will be added here as the project progresses.

Research team

Dr James Cole (University of Brighton)

Dr John McNabb (University of Southampton)

Dr Martin Bates (University of Wales Trinity St David)

Dr Pastory Bushozi (University of Dar es Salaam)

Dr Amandus Kwekason (National Museum of Tanzania)

Dr Phillip Toms (University of Gloucestershire)

Professor Geoff Duller (Aberystwyth University)

Professor David Nash (University of Brighton)

Output

The project is in progress. Papers that provide context to the research and mentioned above include:

Barham, L., Tooth, S., Duller, G. A. T., Plater, A. J., & Turner, S. (2015). Excavations at Site C North, Kalambo Falls, Zambia: New Insights into the Mode 2/3 Transition in South-Central Africa. Journal of African Archaeology, 13(2), 187-214.

Cole, G. H., & Kleindienst, M. R. (1974). Further Reflections on the Isimila Acheulian. Quaternary Research, 4, 346-355.

Duller, G. A. T., Tooth, S., Barham, L., & Tsukamoto, S. (2015). New investigations at Kalambo Falls, Zambia: Luminescence chronology, site formation, and archaeological significance. Journal of Human Evolution, 85, 111-125.

Hansen, C. L., & Keller, C. M. (1971). Environment and Activity Patterning at Isimila Korongo, Iringa District, Tanzania: A Preliminary Report. American Anthropologist, 73(5), 1201-1211.

Harmand, S., Lewis, J. E., Feibel, C. S., Lepre, C. J., Prat, S., Lenoble, A., . . . Roche, H. (2015). 3.3-million-year-old stone tools from Lomekwi 3, West Turkana, Kenya. Nature, 521, 310-315.

Howell, C. F. (1955). A preliminary Note on a Prehistoric Donga (Maclennan's Donga) in Central Tanganyika. The South African Archaeological Bulletin, 10(38), 43-52.

Howell, C. F. (1961). Isimila: A Palaeolithic Site in Africa. Scientific American, 205(4), 118-129.

Howell, C. F., Cole, G. H., Kleindienst, M. R., & Haldemann, E. G. (1962). Isimila, an Acheulian occupation site in the Iringa Highlands, Southern Highlands Province, Tanganyika. Paper presented at the Musee royal de l’Afrique Central

Howell, C. F., Cole, G. H., Kleindienst, M. R., Szabo, B. J., & Oakley, K. P. (1972). Uranium-series Dating of Bone from the Isimila Prehistoric Site, Tanzania. Nature, 237, 51-52.

Kelley, H. (1959). Bifaces de Dimensions Exceptionelles. Paper presented at the Compte Rendus du Congres Prehistorique, Monaco.

Kleindienst, M. R., & Keller, C. M. (1976). Towards a functional analysis of handaxes and cleavers. Man, 2, 176-187.

McBrearty, S. (1978). The Isimila Site and the Status of East African Paleolithic Research. Journal of the Steward Anthropological Society, 10, 25-46.

Spoor, F., Gunz, P., Neubauer, S., Stelzer, S., Scott, N., Kwekason, A., & Dean, C. M. (2015). Reconstructed Homo habilis type OH 7 suggests deep-rooted species diversity in early Homo. Nature, 519, 83-86.

van Riet Lowe, C. (1951). A New African Acheul Stage IV Site in Tanganyika. The South African Archaeological Bulletin, 6(24), 94-98.

Partners

University of Southampton

University of Wales Trinity St David

University of Dar es Salaam

National Museum of Tanzania

University of Gloucestershire

Aberystwyth University

Project funded by:

University of Brighton

Society of Antiquaries

Quaternary Research Association