Middle Stone Age

The Middle Stone Age is an African prehistoric period, beginning roughly 300,000 years ago, marked by prepared-core stone technologies and associated with the emergence and spread of Homo sapiens.

Levallois technique: A prepared-core stone-knapping method that produces flakes of predetermined shape. It exemplifies the planned core preparation characteristic of many Middle Stone Age assemblages.
Prepared-core technique: Stone-knapping in which a core is shaped before a flake is struck from it. This strategy made tool blanks more predictable than simply removing opportunistic flakes.
Jebel Irhoud: A Moroccan archaeological and fossil site with Homo sapiens remains dated to about 300,000 years ago. Its fossils and Middle Stone Age tools place early evidence near the period’s beginning.
Hunting: The pursuit and capture of animals for food or other resources. Projectile points and animal remains help reconstruct Middle Stone Age hunting practices.
African Middle Stone Age chronology: The dating and regional sequencing of African Middle Stone Age archaeological assemblages. Dating disagreements affect how technological changes and population movements are interpreted.
Stone tool: A tool made by shaping or using stone to perform a task. Stone tools provide the archaeological evidence used to identify this period.
Stone knapping: The deliberate fracture of stone to create flakes, tools, or shaped cores. Knapping sequences explain how Middle Stone Age artifacts were manufactured.
Blombos Cave: A South African archaeological site known for Middle Stone Age artifacts, including engraved ochre and shell beads. Its deposits document technological and symbolic practices across several periods.
Microlith: A small stone tool, often made for use as part of a composite implement. Small blades and backed pieces could serve as components in complex hunting equipment.
African population structure: The geographic distribution and genetic relationships of ancient and present-day African populations. The period’s human fossils may represent populations with complex, interconnected histories.

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