Shum Laka rock shelter (Lower Horizon; ochre ash)
Basic information
Sample name: Shum Laka rock shelter (Lower Horizon; ochre 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]
Geography
Country: Cameroon

State: Northwest


Coordinate: 5° 51' 31" N, 10° 4' 40" E
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Holocene

Section: 3768

Unit number: 1

Unit order: below to above

Max Ma: 0.009095

Min Ma: 0.00848

Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)

Geography comments: "Shum Laka rock shelter is situated in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, some 17 km southwest of Bamenda, on the territory of Bafochu-Mbu village. It lies in a small gallery forest bordered by savanna, some 1600 m asl".
"Radiocarbon dates for the Lower Horizon of the ochre ash layer range between 9095 and 8480 B.P. (8500–7000 cal. BC)".

Environment
Lithology: ash

Taphonomic context: human accumulation,rock shelter

Archaeology: stone tools

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 only artefacts collected from the Lower Horizon of the ochre ash layer are stone tools. "Of the part of the industry studied, more than 65% is on quartz. Flaking methods are unspecialized and the flake component, whatever the raw material, is very poor. Almost all of the assemblage is of microlithic proportions (less than 3 cm)".

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,snails

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 26 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".

Metadata
Sample number: 4035

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-10-28 11:50:43

Modified: 2023-05-30 03:09:37

Abundance distribution
7 species
4 singletons
total count 26
extrapolated richness: 21.3
Fisher's α: 3.143
geometric series k: 0.6706
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.6769
Shannon's H: 1.4297
Good's u: 0.8492
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register