Sample name: Shum Laka rock shelter (Middle/Upper Horizon; gray ash)

Reference: P. Lavachery. 2001. The Holocene archaeological sequence of Shum Laka rock shelter (Grassfields, western Cameroon). African Archaeological Review 18(4):213-247 [ER 3768]

Lithology: ash

Taphonomic context: human accumulation,rock shelter

Archaeology: ceramics,stone tools,other artifacts

Habitat comments: "Shum Laka rock shelter covers a surface area of 1200 m2 and contains three main stratigraphic units. The Holocene deposits consist mainly of anthropogenic ashes known as the “A” layer: a lens-shaped mantle that dips from the back to the opening of the cave. It is divided into two members: the ochre ash layer and the gray ash layer".
"The Middle/Upper Horizon of the gray ash layer contains a rich lithic assemblage of 14,490 artifacts. The industry is remarkably similar to that of the Lower Horizon (sample 4037); the only new tool type that appears is a completely ground adze. The proportion of formal tools in basalt, however, is lower than in the Lower Horizon; the same is true for cores. The number of hammerstones, direct evidence of on-site flaking, is also much reduced. Basalt blades remain frequent but are less well prepared since multifaceted butts and specialized flaking patterns decrease. Two hundred and seventy-four pottery sherds were discovered in this horizon, along with two metal objects: an iron ring and a fragment of an iron bracelet".

Life forms: bats,carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,birds,snakes,snails

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 493 specimens

Sampling comments: "A total of 82 m2 of the rock shelter was excavated, opened in two main areas: Sector 1 (in the centre and back of the shelter) and Sector 2 (closer to the entrance). Because of a lack of any finer exploitable stratigraphical features in the very loose ash layers, the excavation proceeded by artificial horizontal spits. In total, the excavations recovered half a million stone artifacts, over 1200 pottery sherds, 18 human skeletons, and thousands of faunal and plant remains".

Sample number: 4038

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-10-28 15:02:21

Modified: 2023-05-30 03:09:31