New methodological approaches to the study of the acheulean from Southern Mozambique

Abstract

This dissertation aims at addressing some theoretical and methodological issues regarding the study of the earliest secure archaeological evidences excavated from southern Mozambique, and compared to the “classic” Acheulean sites from neighboring South Africa. Mozambique, from the standpoint of ESA archaeology, is shown to hold important information regarding an increasing elaboration of the Acheulean technological behavior ascertained by the presence of new conceptual modules of toll Manufacture (as suggested by the emergence of new tool forms, such as the handaxe), wider incorporation of new raw materials, land-uses, etc. In order to interpret the emergence of new artifactual forms, it is crucial to grasp the relationship between the tools used in manufacture and techniques employed in flaking stone. By identifying the flaking techniques used by Acheulean hominids, the archaeologist is able to get better insights regarding the development of the technological complexity. The methodological framework of analysis developed for this research is based on three main assumptions: • That the technology of production and use is recorded on the implements; • That is possible to recognize (at least partially) through actualistic the procedures used in the past, and place them in a sequence; • That bay meticulous identification of the activities with produced the specific set of lithic artifacts (including production and use) and by matching them against the paleogeographical and paleoenvironmental setting (the framework where the assemblages were produced and used), a detailed picture of the area under study can be achieved. By using a technological approach granted on a sturdy actualistic study (where the experimental base includes functional analysis) compred against the archaeological record, it became possible to develop some hypothesis regarding patterns of Acheulean land use in southern Mozambique. One of the more important aspects of this work became the recognition of a set of characteristics, which indicate the presence of soft hammer percussion in an assemblage. The result of the initial work on the Acheulean of southern Mozambique described in this paper has several implications towards a re-evaluation of the meaning of the Acheulean period, both in terms of technology and use.