Sample name: Shum Laka rock shelter (Upper 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]

Lithology: ash

Taphonomic context: human accumulation,rock shelter

Archaeology: burials,ceramics,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 lithic industry from the Upper Horizon of the ochre ash layer comprises 19,985 artifacts. However, cores are few and the flaking methods are still unprepared, with 11 out of 12 pieces being casual cores. Flake tools, on the other hand, are more common, although most are only modified pieces or scrapers. Bifacial core tools, although extremely rare and fragmentary, are present. No complete ground tools were found, but fragments and flakes showing traces of polishing are present in all excavation spits of the horizon. Only four potsherds were discovered, all decorated with comb or stick impressions. This phase also contains three tombs where four individuals were buried; one tomb was a single burial, another contained a double burial, and the last was a secondary burial where only a bundle of long bones was present. Two children (approx. 4 and 15 years old) were buried in the double tomb and one adult in the single tomb".

Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 18 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: 4036

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-10-28 12:42:03

Modified: 2023-05-30 03:09:35