Nasera Rockshelter Explained
| Nasera |
| Map Type: | Tanzania |
| Map Alt: | Location in Tanzania |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| Relief: | yes |
| Coordinates: | -2.6967°N 35.3247°W |
| Location: | Ngorongoro District,
Arusha Region,
|
| Region: | Eastern Africa |
| Type: | Settlement |
| Excavations: | 1932, 1975 & 1976 |
| Archaeologists: | Louis Leakey & Michael Mehlman |
| Condition: | Excavated |
| Ownership: | Tanzanian Government |
| Management: | Antiquities Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism [1] |
| Public Access: | Yes |
| Designation1: | NHST |
| Designation1 Offname: | Nasera Rockshelter |
Nasera Rockshelter is an archaeological site located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area within Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region in northern Tanzania, and it has evidence of Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age occupations in the Late Pleistocene to early Holocene, and ceramic-bearing Holocene occupations attributed to Kansyore, Nderit, and Savanna Pastoral Neolithic traditions. It was first excavated by Louis Leakey in 1932.[2] A second series of excavations by Michael Mehlman in 1975 and 1976 led to the first comprehensive published study of the shelter, its stratigraphy and chronology (supported by radiocarbon dates), and its abundant material culture, including stone tools, faunal remains, and pottery.[3] [4] Recent work has sought to better understand chronology, lithic technology, mobility and demography, and site formation processes at Nasera Rockshelter.[5] [6] [7] [8] Nasera Rockshelter is considered a key site in eastern Africa for understanding the Middle Stone Age to Later Stone Age transition,[9] and also for the study of the spread of livestock herding during the Pastoral Neolithic.[10] Its chronology and archaeological sequence have been compared to those of other key sites in the region such as Mumba Rockshelter, Kisese II Rockshelter, Panga ya Saidi, and Enkapune ya Muto.
Notes and References
- Web site: Antiquities Division. 21 Jul 2022.
- Book: Leakey, L.S.B.. Stone Age Africa: an outline of prehistory in Africa. Oxford University Press, H. Milford.. 1936.
- Mehlman. M. J.. 1977. Excavations at Nasera Rock, Tanzania. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa. 12. 1. 111–118. 10.1080/00672707709511250. 0067-270X.
- Book: Mehlman, M.J.. Late Quaternary archaeological sequences in northern Tanzania. PhD thesis, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 1989.
- Ranhorn. Kathryn. Tryon. Christian A.. 2018-11-27. New Radiocarbon Dates from Nasera Rockshelter (Tanzania): Implications for Studying Spatial Patterns in Late Pleistocene Technology. Journal of African Archaeology. 16. 2. 211–222. 10.1163/21915784-20180011. 1612-1651.
- MartÍn‐Perea. David Manuel. MaÍllo‐FernÁndez. JosÉ‐Manuel. Medialdea. Alicia. MarÍn. Juan. Solano‐MegÍas. Irene. Gidna. Agness. Mabulla. Audax. 2020-08-25. Revisiting an old profile: an updated geoarchaeological study at Nasera Rockshelter (Tanzania). Journal of Quaternary Science. 35. 7. 951–960. 10.1002/jqs.3237. 0267-8179.
- Solano-Megías. Irene. Maíllo-Fernández. José-Manuel. Marín. Juan. Martín-Perea. David M.. Mabulla. Audax Z. P.. 2020-10-21. Lithic Technology in the Earliest Later Stone age at Nasera Rockshelter (Tanzania). Lithic Technology. 46. 1. 60–79. 10.1080/01977261.2020.1832180. 0197-7261.
- Tryon. Christian A.. Faith. J. Tyler. 2016-07-05. A demographic perspective on the Middle to Later Stone Age transition from Nasera rockshelter, Tanzania. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 371. 1698. 20150238. 10.1098/rstb.2015.0238. 0962-8436. free. 4920295.
- Tryon. Christian A.. 2019. The Middle/Later Stone Age transition and cultural dynamics of late Pleistocene East Africa. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews. 28. 5. 267–282. 10.1002/evan.21802. 1060-1538.
- Gifford-Gonzalez. Diane. 2017. "Animal disease challenges" fifteen years later: The hypothesis in light of new data. Quaternary International. 436. 283–293. 10.1016/j.quaint.2015.10.054. 1040-6182. free.
