Re‐examining the age of the Affad MSA deposits in the middle Nile Valley
[ 1 ] Ośrodek Studiów Pradziejowych i Średniowiecznych w Poznaniu, Instytut Archeologii i Etnologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk | [ P ] pracownik
2021
artykuł naukowy
angielski
EN In this article we present data on the chronology of fluvial and aeolian sediments as well as ecofacts that allow us to indicate the timing of Middle Stone Age settlement in Affad on the Middle Nile. Previously published chronometric data based solely on (multi‐grain) OSL dates suggested the extremely late settlement and usage of MSA technology in NE Africa during Terminal Pleistocene (post‐LGM). The current analyses using multiple dating methods (multi‐grain and single‐grain OSL, TL, ESR, AMS14C) with OSL analyses carried out blind in 3 independent laboratories, suggest this age is incorrect. More likely is that the site dates to ~50 ka. The comparison of dating results and methodological differences enable us to explore a spectrum of possible explanations. Here we infer the strong need to consider appropriate methodology specific to the depositional context for indicating the age of fluvial sediments and prehistoric settlements at open‐air sites of NE Africa.
1405 - 1420
200
200