Obsidian in Ethiopia: a Geoarchaeological perspective

In Ethiopia, obsidian is mainly found in the Afar Depression and the Main Ethiopian Rift. The compositional and petrological features of these obsidians vary. Some volcanic centers show that varying volcanic eruptions from a single center may not necessarily imply variable chemistry. Obsidian has been dated using K/Ar, Ar/Ar, and fission track methods to determine the time of eruption but there are also a few dates on artifacts by hydration dating to establish the time of tool manufacture. Many of the geological sources were utilized by prehistoric populations beginning at least since the Early Stone Age but obsidian became commonly used during the Middle Stone Age. Obsidian based stone tool use for scraping in Ethiopia persisted until recent times

Early hunters and herders of northern Ethiopia: The fauna from Danei Kawlos

It is generally agreed that Ethiopia is one of the world’s primary centers of prehistoric plant domestication. It is also known that domestic fauna (cattle and domestic caprines) were brought in from outside. Unfortunately, very few Holocene archaeological sequences have been excavated in the Horn. Even fewer sites have yielded domestic fauna dating to > 3000 years ago. The excavations at the site Danei Kawlos in northern Ethiopia provide new Holocene archaeological sequences for Northern Ethiopia and document the presence of cattle, sheep and goat with a direct date of 3358 ± 47 BP on a Bos molar. We discuss here the zooarchaeological data from the site

Provenance of middle Stone Age obsidian artefacts from the central sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley

The Gademotta/Kulkuletti sites, located in the central part of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley, represent the earliest Middle Stone Age (MSA) sequences in the country. Here we present the geochemical provenance of obsidian archaeological artefact recovered through excavation at the site. The artefacts and source materials were characterized by EDXRF and electron microprobe. Results show that the artefacts were procured from two sources, one local, and one presumably more distant, implying that despite the local availability of good quality raw material, not all obsidians were procured from a nearby source

Earliest stone-tipped projectiles from the Ethiopian Rift date to> 279,000 years ago

Projectile weapons (i.e. those delivered from a distance) enhanced prehistoric hunting efficiency by enabling higher impact delivery and hunting of a broader range of animals while reducing confrontations with dangerous prey species. Projectiles therefore provided a significant advantage over thrusting spears. Composite projectile technologies are considered indicative of complex behavior and pivotal to the successful spread of Homo sapiens . Direct evidence for such projectiles is thus far unknown from >80,000 years ago. Data from velocity-dependent microfracture features, diagnostic damage patterns, and artifact shape reported here indicate that pointed stone artifacts from Ethiopia were used as projectile weapons (in the form of hafted javelin tips) as early as >279,000 years ago. In combination with the existing archaeological, fossil and genetic evidence, these data isolate eastern Africa as a source of modern cultures and biology

Forensic 40Ar/39Ar dating: a provenance study of Middle Stone Age obsidian artifacts from Ethiopia

International audienc

A sample of Gademotta pointed artifacts exhibiting micro- and macrofracture features indicative of projectile weaponry.

<p>(<b>A</b>, <b>B</b>) fracture wings on transverse fractures; (<b>C</b>, <b>D</b>) fracture wings on burin-like fractures; (<b>E</b>) impact fractures on two fracture fronts on the distal portion.</p

GDM points with fracture velocity values beyond the range experimentally documented for thrusting spears [11] as well as macrofracture patterns considered DIFs [21]–[23].

<p><i>ψ = </i>angle of divergence of FWs; <i>C = </i>instantaneous fracture velocity; FWs = fracture wings; FL = fracture length.</p