The Middle Stone Age occupations of Tiémassas, coastal West Africa, between 62 and 25 thousand years ago

Niang, Khadim; Blinkhorn, James; Ndiaye, Matar; Bateman, Mark D.; Seck, B.; Sawaré, Gora

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102658

Cited by 7 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…33 ka at Toumboura III 28 , and ca. 25–62 ka at Tiémassas 30 , 31 . This sequence demonstrates that MSA technologies persisted, rather than being reinvented, in the terminal Pleistocene.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 22 , 27 – 29 ). This work is further elaborated by work at Tiémassas, coastal Senegal, where three classic MSA assemblages span 62–25 ka 30 , 31 and in the Lower Senegal Valley 32 , 33 where MSA assemblages have been dated to 12 ka. These sites share a consistent focus on Levallois reduction approaches, sometimes complemented by discoidal methods, alongside the appearance of tools such as scrapers, denticulates and retouched points, which characterise the West African MSA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the Holocene

Scerri

Niang

Candy

et al. 2021

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuity of the Middle Stone Age into the Holocene

Scerri

Niang

Candy

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…In Senegal, the reanalyzed and reexcavated littoral site of Tiémassas comprises MSA lithic assemblages from three discrete stratified archaeological horizons of broadly homogeneous nature dating to 61.9 ± 2.6 ka, 47.3 ± 2.9 ka, and 25.9 ± 1.3 ka (Niang et al, 2020). The raw materials are sandstone and locally available flint.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to the diversity of MSA industries represented at Ounjougou during MIS 4 to 3, the continuity of broadly homogeneous MSA traditions from ca. 65 to 25 ka at Tiémassas (Niang, et al, 2020) as well as the very young MSA dates of ca. 23-20 ka at Laminia, 11.6 ± 0.51 ka at Ndiayène Pendao, and 11.1 ± 0.58 ka at Saxomununya underpin an enduring existence of these Senegalese MSA sites into the onset of the Holocene (Scerri et al, 2017(Scerri et al, , 2021.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…The Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 stands out as the best documented period within the West African MSA based on the occurrence of numerous sites (e.g., Allsworth-Jones, 2019;Chevrier et al, 2018;Tribolo et al, 2015). Previous works carried out at the Ounjougou site complex, Mali (e.g., Chevrier et al, 2018;Soriano et al, 2011), and the re-analysis and reexcavation of Tiémassas, Senegal (Niang et al, 2018(Niang et al, , 2020, show great variability of industries during MIS 4 to MIS 3 in West Africa. Past human groups most frequently used discoid reduction, Levallois methods, bifacial shaping, and bipolar-on-anvil knapping of quartz cobbles (Chevrier et al, 2018;Soriano et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Middle Stone Age Bifacial Technology and Pressure Flaking at the MIS 3 Site of Toumboura III, Eastern Senegal

et al. 2021

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Over the past decade, the increasing wealth of new archaeological data on the Middle Stone Age (MSA) in Senegal and Mali has broadened our understanding of West Africa’s contributions to cultural developments. Within the West African sequence, the phase of Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3, ca. 59-24 ka) yielded so far the best known and extensive archaeological information. The site of Toumboura III encompasses an occupation dated by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) to between 40 ± 3 ka and 30 ± 3 ka. It provides the largest, well-dated, and stratified lithic assemblage in West Africa for the MSA and sheds light on an unprecedented cultural expression for this period, adding to the notable diversity of the late MSA in this region. We conducted a technological analysis of the lithic components following the chaîne opératoire approach. The lithic assemblage features a prevalence of bifacial technology and the exploitation of flakes as blanks for tool production. The craftspeople manufactured distinct types of bifacial tools, including small bifacial points shaped by pressure technique. The new data from Toumboura III demonstrate behavioral patterns that are entirely new in the region. By revealing behavioral innovations and technological particularities, these results on the techno-cultural dynamics during the MIS 3 phase of the MSA enhance our understanding of the complex Pleistocene population history in this part of Africa.

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