14/02/2022
Isimila stone age
East Africa has long been associated with the origins of a number of hominin species, including our own genus Homo c. 2.3mya, and a material culture record now stretching back almost 3.3 million years. What is not so well known or documented is the Palaeolithic archaeology or behavioural record of hominins located outside the Rift Valley. One major Stone Age site, called Isimila, is located within a korongo (erosion gulley) on the Iringa plateau in Tanzania and has long been recognised as a site of international importance for understanding the behavioural complexity and plasticity of our hominin ancestors. One of the primary reasons for the importance of Isimila is the unique artefact record for a site outside the Rift Valley system present in both primary and secondary contexts consisting of thousands of handaxes - including enigmatic giant handaxes. Despite the international significance of Isimila, the archaeology, chronology, taphonomy and geomorphology of the site remain poorly understood, and in urgent need of re-examination
