Phytoliths from Middle Stone Age habitats in the Mozambican Rift (105–29 ka)

The detection of areas suitable for hominins during late Pleistocene drought intervals is currently a priority for Middle Stone Age research. Predicting the location of populations and dispersal pathways through the East African Rift System during the last glacial phase is a challenging task due to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of human evolution 2013-05, Vol.64 (5), p.328-336
Main Authors:	Mercader, Julio, Bennett, Tim, Esselmont, Chris, Simpson, Steven, Walde, Dale
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Africa Africa, Eastern Animals Archaeological sites East Africa Ecosystem Environmental studies Flora Fossils Geologic Sediments Hominidae - growth & development Hominids Landscape Late Pleistocene Malawi/Niassa Rift Methodology and general studies Mozambique Palaeolithic and epipalaeolithic Plants Pleistocene Prehistory and protohistory Principal Component Analysis Southern and East Africa Stone Age Woodland
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Summary:	The detection of areas suitable for hominins during late Pleistocene drought intervals is currently a priority for Middle Stone Age research. Predicting the location of populations and dispersal pathways through the East African Rift System during the last glacial phase is a challenging task due to scarce direct archaeo-vegetation data. We present a Mozambican phytolith record spanning 105–29 ka and argue for the necessity and utility of using local plant microbotanical data from archaeological sites to understand the past environments in which early modern humans lived. We assess biome structure, spatial variability, and compare phytolith-based to lacustrine environmental reconstructions to conclude that dense wooded landscapes dominated the area over much of the last glacial phase. Archaeological and botanical data suggest the hypothesis of a palaeodispersal along a montane woodland archipelago that could have attracted hominin settlement and facilitated dispersals through an inland bridge that connected southern, central and East Africa, and the two branches of the East African Rift System.
ISSN:	0047-2484 1095-8606