Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the Holocene
Abstract The African Middle Stone Age (MSA, typically considered to span ca. 300–30 thousand years ago [ka]), represents our species’ first and longest lasting cultural phase. Although the MSA to Later Stone Age (LSA) transition is known to have had a degree of spatial and temporal variability, rece...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79418-4 |
| _version_ | 1818346189651705856 |
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| author | Eleanor M. L. Scerri Khady Niang Ian Candy James Blinkhorn William Mills Jacopo N. Cerasoni Mark D. Bateman Alison Crowther Huw S. Groucutt |
| author_facet | Eleanor M. L. Scerri Khady Niang Ian Candy James Blinkhorn William Mills Jacopo N. Cerasoni Mark D. Bateman Alison Crowther Huw S. Groucutt |
| author_sort | Eleanor M. L. Scerri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The African Middle Stone Age (MSA, typically considered to span ca. 300–30 thousand years ago [ka]), represents our species’ first and longest lasting cultural phase. Although the MSA to Later Stone Age (LSA) transition is known to have had a degree of spatial and temporal variability, recent studies have implied that in some regions, the MSA persisted well beyond 30 ka. Here we report two new sites in Senegal that date the end of the MSA to around 11 ka, the youngest yet documented MSA in Africa. This shows that this cultural phase persisted into the Holocene. These results highlight significant spatial and temporal cultural variability in the African Late Pleistocene, consistent with genomic and palaeoanthropological hypotheses that significant, long-standing inter-group cultural differences shaped the later stages of human evolution in Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T17:14:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-39da456758ec411998507a176519a37f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T17:14:19Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-39da456758ec411998507a176519a37f2022-12-21T23:37:27ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222021-01-0111111110.1038/s41598-020-79418-4Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the HoloceneEleanor M. L. Scerri0Khady Niang1Ian Candy2James Blinkhorn3William Mills4Jacopo N. Cerasoni5Mark D. Bateman6Alison Crowther7Huw S. Groucutt8Pan-African Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryDépartement D’Histoire, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de DakarInstitute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of ColognePan-African Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistorySchool of Archaeology, University of OxfordPan-African Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryDepartment of Geography, Winter St., University of SheffieldSchool of Social Science, The University of QueenslandInstitute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of CologneAbstract The African Middle Stone Age (MSA, typically considered to span ca. 300–30 thousand years ago [ka]), represents our species’ first and longest lasting cultural phase. Although the MSA to Later Stone Age (LSA) transition is known to have had a degree of spatial and temporal variability, recent studies have implied that in some regions, the MSA persisted well beyond 30 ka. Here we report two new sites in Senegal that date the end of the MSA to around 11 ka, the youngest yet documented MSA in Africa. This shows that this cultural phase persisted into the Holocene. These results highlight significant spatial and temporal cultural variability in the African Late Pleistocene, consistent with genomic and palaeoanthropological hypotheses that significant, long-standing inter-group cultural differences shaped the later stages of human evolution in Africa.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79418-4 |
| spellingShingle | Eleanor M. L. Scerri Khady Niang Ian Candy James Blinkhorn William Mills Jacopo N. Cerasoni Mark D. Bateman Alison Crowther Huw S. Groucutt Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the Holocene Scientific Reports |
| title | Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the Holocene |
| title_full | Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the Holocene |
| title_fullStr | Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the Holocene |
| title_full_unstemmed | Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the Holocene |
| title_short | Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the Holocene |
| title_sort | continuity of the middle stone age into the holocene |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79418-4 |
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