Differentiate with examples Middle Stone Age and Late Stone Age traditions

The Stone Age is a board pre- historic period during which stones were widely used to make implements with a sharp edge, a point or a percussion surface. The period lasted roughly 3.4 million years ago and ended between 6000BCE and 2000BCE (Barham et al 2008:106). This stone age period can be divided into three phases which are; Early (Old) stone age which is also divided into two phases including Old wan phase dated about 2.5 or 2.6 million years ago to about 1.7 million years ago, This phase uses very simple technology and the raw materials used to produce Old wan tools were called cores from pebbles also the tool maker during old wan period was called Homo sapiens. Examples tools are choppers and scrapers evidenced in areas such as Oldvai Gorge, East Turkana as well as senga Five in Ethiopia. And the second phase is called Acheulian dated from 1.7 to 0.5 million years ago, it produced standardized stone tools compared to Old wan phase, during this phase Homo eractus was responsible in making tools. Examples of tools are Hand Axes evidenced in areas like Oldvai Gorge and Isimila in Iringa. Also there was a transition period between Acheulian and middle Stone Age called Sangoan which contain features related to both periods.

Middle stone age, this was the period of African pre-history between early stone age and late stone age, it is generally considered to have begun around 200000 and 30000 million years ago, it is associated with both anatomically and modern man (Homo sapiens) and Archaic Homo sapiens. Middle stone age tools includes a range of retouched a flake tools especially side scrapers, back knifes and points where by the technology used to make these tools was called Levallois method and Homo sapiens was responsible for making these tools. Examples of the areas evidenced the presence of middle Stone Age are; Gademotta Formation in Ethiopia discovered by Fred Wendorf and Romudd Schild in1970s, the Kapthirin Formation in Kenya near Bogoria and lake Baringo, Sibudu cave in South Africa where arrows and hide working tools have been found (Klein, R. 2000:17-36). Also in Tanzania evidenced at Oldvai Gorge, Mumba in Lake Eyasi as well as Magubike village in Iringa.

Late Stone Age, before this phase there was a transition period called Njarasan tradition which contain features of both middle Stone Age and late Stone Age. Late Stone Age refers to a period in Africa pre-history where in Europe it is called Paleolithic, it is started around 30000 to 10000 million years ago, characteristics of tools during this period were more standardized than middle stone tools.

 It is usually characterized by specifically prepared cores from which blades were removed through indirect percussion, also the tools of bones antlers and Ivory become common for the first time, in this period there were small finely worked stone implements known as micro lithic become more common while the heavier scrapers and points of middle stone age appeared less frequently, also the means of subsistence was still hunting and gathering. Example of areas evidenced the presence of Late Stone Age are; Fossilized animal bones bearing marks from stone tools found in Lower Awash valley in Ethiopia, Mumba rock shelter near lake Eyasi where the late stone artifacts were found and the cave was originally excavated by Lewing Kohl-Larsen and his wife Margit in 1930’s. (Deacon at el 1983:341)

 The following are the differences with examples between middle Stone Age and late Stone Age as explained below;

Size of the tools, during late Stone Age significant development in flint tools manufacturing with industries based on fine blades rather than simper and shorter flakes of middle stone age, this means that late stone age tools were very small and sharp compared to those of the middle stone age, for example Burins were used to work bones, antler, advanced darts and harpoons, fish hook, the rope and eyed needles. Hence this developments during the late stone age enabled human to master his nature as the tools were improved compared in the middle stone age. (Gilman, A. 1996:220-239)

Human behavior, it include to techniques of stone tools and their resultant features, during the late stone age lie in the use of inhabitants of; formal graves of burial dead by being converted with ochre-painted stones also they were decorating themselves with ostrich eggshell beads and amulets as well as shells from river banks and sea also there was specialized equipment for fishing and hunting like sinkers, hooks, and bows. Hence this differentiates late stone age from middle stone age where during middle Stone Age did not developed the technology of decorating tools and themselves. (Deacon 1983:221-222)

Also there is a difference in hunting and gathering during middle stone age and late stone age, in late stone age technology of hunting and gathering changed, for example the shift of hunting style of open plain game to more settled in patch foraging, this means that at late stone age man started to settle compared to middle stone age where hunting and gathering were in open. (Deacon 1983:221)

Another is the proportions of certain animal remains during middle stone age and late stone age, for example eland is less abundant during late stone age while the ruminants of pig increases (Wadley 1993:258), also (Klein, R. 2000:21) supported based on the analysis of faunas from southern cape sites that because the early late stone age inhabitants captured more suids and less eland than middle stone age people specifically avoided prey that was very fierce when under attack and targeted species that were at least comparably places at least in the region. Hence this shows the difference between middle stone age and late stone age in terms of technology of specific animal species hunted.

Also middle Stone Age characterized by remarkable discovery of fire which allowed human activities into dark as well as colder hours of night and other uses, this differentiate from late stone age by its peculiar feature, example of areas where was discovered during middle stone age are; cave of hearts in south Africa has burned deposits dated 200000 to 7000BP also in kalambo falls in Zambia where several artifacts were related to the use of fire by human recovering including charcoal and wooden implements which were hardened by fire. (James, R. 1989:1-26)

Apart from their differences also there are some similarities between middle and late Stone Age as follows;

Subsistence structure, it refers to the means of obtaining food where by both middle stone and late Stone Age were still depending on hunting and gathering, both hunted and gathered to sustain their livelihood.

Also both middle and late stone age used stone tools, this means that none of them used out of stone tools such as metal and iron, they used tools like arrows, hand axes, blades, which were produced using stones as well as at some extent they used animal bones as a means to deal with nature. Hence both were not reached to the level of iron technology.

Conclusively, middle and late stone age are among of the evidences which shows that human culture have been changing over time, the other evidences are old stone age, metal age as well as iron age, this change of human culture from one period to another have been influenced by factors like environmental changes such as the increase of temperature, advancement of technology as well as population growth and interactions among the people.

REFERENCES

Barham, L .S. (2008). Barked stone tools in middle Pleistocene Central Africa and their     evolutionary significant; the journal of Human development 43:584-603

Deacon, H. (1983). Leaning about the past: Human beginning in South Africa. Cape town

Gilman, A. (1996). Explaining the upper Paleolithic Revolution in contemporary Archaeology Theory: A reader. Combridge

James, R. (1989). Hominids use of fire in the lower and middle Pleistocene: Current Anthropology. University of Chicago Press

Klein, R. G. (2000). Archaeology and Human behavior:The journal of Evolution Anthropogists 17-36