NDLI: The Elmenteitan Obsidian Quarry (GsJj50): New Perspectives on Obsidian Access and Exchange During the Pastoral Neolithic in Southern Kenya

Please wait, while we are loading the content...

The Elmenteitan Obsidian Quarry (GsJj50): New Perspectives on Obsidian Access and Exchange During the Pastoral Neolithic in Southern Kenya

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Goldstein, Steven T. Munyiri, John M.
Copyright Year	2017
Abstract	Early pastoralists in southern Kenya exploited obsidian sources to supply large regional exchange networks that persisted from c. 3200 to 1400 years ago. Obsidian exchange networks have been a source for speculation on the social and political nature of early pastoralism in eastern Africa. Herders who produced a discrete set of material culture called “Elmenteitan” mainly relied on a particular obsidian quarry site on the upper slopes of Ol Doinyo Opuru (Mt. Eburru), in the Central Rift Valley. These implications of the Elmenteitan pattern for herder social organization have not been systematically investigated. This paper reports on recent surveys and initial excavations at the Elmenteitan Obsidian Quarry (GsJj50) on Mt. Eburru as the central node of a prehistoric herder exchange network. Research revealed a series of stratified extraction and workshopping loci concentrated across a roughly 200-m2 extent. Spatial, faunal, ceramic, and lithic datasets support communal resource access by small groups, rather than centralized control. This research has implications for interpreting the role of centralized quarries and resource nodes in the formation of mobile herder exchange and alliance. Networks were an important risk-reduction strategy in unpredictable environments and helped facilitate the spread of African pastoralism.Les premiers pasteurs du sud du Kenya ont exploité des sources d’obsidienne pour raccorder de grands réseaux d’échange régionaux qui ont persisté jusqu’en c. 3200–1400 AD. Les réseaux d’échange d’obsidienne ont fait l’objet de spéculations sur la nature sociale et politique des prémisses du pastoralisme en Afrique de l’est. Des gardiens de troupeaux qui ont produit une collection discrète de culture matérielle appelée « Elmenteitan » ont compté sur un site de carrière en l’haute de la pente d’Ol Doinyo Opuru (mont Eburru), dans la vallée Centrale Rift. Les implications du modèle Elmenteitan pour l’organisation sociale des gardiens n’ont pas fait l’objet d’une étude systématique. Cet article s’appuie sur des études récentes et des fouilles inédites réalisées à la carrière d’Elmenteitan (GsJj50) sur le mont Eburru, considéré comme le noeud central d’un réseau préhistorique d’échanges. La recherche a montré une série d’extractions stratifiées, et des lieux de « workshopping » qui s’étendent sur 200 mètres carrés. Un ensemble de données spatiales, céramiques, lithiques et de faune, sous-tendent un concept d’accès qui relève de ressources communales, plutôt que d’un contrôle centralisé. Cette recherche a des conséquences sur l’interprétation du rôle des carrières centralisées et noeuds de ressources dans la formation d’échange et alliance des gardiens mobiles. Les réseaux ont constitué une stratégie importante de diminution des risques dans les milieux imprévisibles, et ont facilité la propagation du pastoralisme Africain.
Starting Page	43
Ending Page	73
Page Count	31
File Format	PDF
ISSN	02630338
Journal	African Archaeological Review
Volume Number	34
Issue Number	1
e-ISSN	15729842
Language	English
Publisher	Springer US
Publisher Date	2017-01-18
Publisher Place	New York
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Kenya Pastoral Neolithic Lithics Quarry Exchange Elmenteitan Obsidian Archaeology Anthropology Regional and Cultural Studies
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Archeology Archeology (arts and humanities)

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

New Perspectives on Early Regional Interaction Networks of East African Trade: A View from Tsavo National Park, Kenya

Towards a Multi-Agent-Based Modelling of Obsidian Exchange in the Neolithic Near East

Variability in the Neolithic Settlement Patterns of the Egyptian Nile Valley

The Epipaleolithic (Iberomaurusian) from Grotte des Contrebandiers, Morocco

The Current Status of the Kenya Capsian

New Perspectives on Sincu Bara, a First Millennium Site in the Senegal Valley

Saving the Past in Kenya: Urban and Monument Conservation

Neolithic Pottery Traditions from the Islands, the Coast and the Interior of East Africa

Through the Glass Darkly: Prehispanic Obsidian Procurement and Exchange in Southern Peru and Northern Bolivia

The Elmenteitan Obsidian Quarry (GsJj50): New Perspectives on Obsidian Access and Exchange During the Pastoral Neolithic in Southern Kenya

Similar Documents

New Perspectives on Early Regional Interaction Networks of East African Trade: A View from Tsavo National Park, Kenya

Towards a Multi-Agent-Based Modelling of Obsidian Exchange in the Neolithic Near East

Variability in the Neolithic Settlement Patterns of the Egyptian Nile Valley

The Epipaleolithic (Iberomaurusian) from Grotte des Contrebandiers, Morocco

The Current Status of the Kenya Capsian

New Perspectives on Sincu Bara, a First Millennium Site in the Senegal Valley

Saving the Past in Kenya: Urban and Monument Conservation

Neolithic Pottery Traditions from the Islands, the Coast and the Interior of East Africa

Through the Glass Darkly: Prehispanic Obsidian Procurement and Exchange in Southern Peru and Northern Bolivia

The Elmenteitan Obsidian Quarry (GsJj50): New Perspectives on Obsidian Access and Exchange During the Pastoral Neolithic in Southern Kenya