Revisiting the Acheulean at Namib IV in the Namib Desert, Namibia

George Leader; Rachel Bynoe; Theodore Marks; Abi Stone; Kaarina Efraim; Dominic Stratford; Eugene Marais

doi:10.1080/00934690.2023.2219102

Revisiting the Acheulean at Namib IV in the Namib Desert, Namibia

George Leader, Rachel Bynoe, Theodore Marks, Abi Stone, Kaarina Efraim, Dominic Stratford, Eugene Marais

Geography

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

59 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Namib IV (S23° 44.829’, E14° 19.720’) is frequently cited, as it is one of few Earlier Stone Age sites in the Sand Sea of the Namib Desert. The site was first investigated in 1978 by Myra Shackley, who described 582 artifacts on the surface of a pan as representing an Acheulean butchery site. Descriptions of the artifacts, their number, and area were inconsistently reported. Recently rediscovered, the site of Namib IV is a rare example of a tool-rich and fossil fauna-bearing pan system in the Namib Sand Sea. This project aims to investigate when, how, and under what environmental conditions hominins utilized these landscapes. This article presents the first archaeological research conducted at the site in over 40 years. Typological and technological data was collected from surface-exposed artifacts and large cutting tools (LCTs) and compared to Shackley’s assemblage. Data demonstrate that her collection is representative of the Namib IV site and raise many new questions about the original research and the site.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	380-394
Number of pages	15
Journal	Journal of Field Archaeology
Volume	48
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2023.2219102
Publication status	Published - 5 Jun 2023

Keywords

Earlier Stone Age
Large Cutting Tool
LCT
Namib Sand Sea
Namib IV
landscape archaeology
interdunal pan

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1080/00934690.2023.2219102

Leader_etal_2023_AuthorManuscriptVersionAccepted author manuscript, 7.86 MB

1 Finished

Early Hominin adaptations in arid landscapes of the Namib desert
Stone, A. (PI)
26/06/22 → 31/10/24
Project: Research

2 Article
1 Poster

Quaternary Dynamics of the Namib Sand Sea: Portable luminescence readers, postponements, plan-changes and PANS.
Stone, A., 1 Feb 2025, In: Quaternary Newsletter. 164, p. 49-53
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
File
Dating Hominin Occupation of the Northern Namib Sand Sea, Namibia
Stone, A., Jan 2024.
Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster
Landscape evolution and hydrology at the Late Pleistocene archaeological site of Narabeb in the Namib Sand Sea, Namibia
Stone, A., Leader, G., Stratford, D., Marks, T., Efraim, K., Bynoe, R., Smedley, R., Gunn, A. & Marais, E., 1 Jun 2024, In: Quaternary Science Advances. 14, 16 p., 100190.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access

4 Oral presentation
2 Invited talk
1 Organising a conference, workshop, exhibition, performance, inquiry, course etc

PANS in the sands: Palaeoenvironmental context of surface Archaeology in the Namib Sand Sea
Stone, A. (Speaker), Leader, G. (Speaker), Stratford, D. (Speaker), Marks, T. (Speaker), Efraim, K. (Speaker), Rachel, B. (Speaker), Smedley, R. (Speaker), Gunn, A. (Speaker), Kharazian , S. (Speaker), Marais, E. (Speaker), Spano, T. (Speaker) & Bateman, M. (Speaker)
22 Jul 2025
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation › Research
Dating S.A.N.D.S.
Stone, A. (Speaker), Stratford, D. (Speaker), Ted, M. (Speaker), Rachel, B. (Speaker), Efraim, K. (Speaker), Marais, E. (Speaker), Smedley, R. (Speaker), Kharazian , S. (Speaker) & Gunn, A. (Speaker)
13 Sept 2024
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation › Research
Dating S.A.N.D.S.
Stone, A. (Speaker), Stratford, D. (Speaker), Marks, T. (Speaker), Rachel, B. (Speaker), Efraim, K. (Speaker), Marais, E. (Speaker), Smedley, R. (Speaker), Akhavan Kharazian, S. (Speaker), Gunn, A. (Speaker) & Leader, G. (Speaker)
13 Sept 2024
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation › Research

SANDS in PANS
Stone, A.
16/12/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
Ancient lake in the Namib Sand Sea holds unearths secrets of early human life
Stone, A.
15/08/24
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert comment
THE CONVERSATION - African archaeology has neglected Namibia’s deserts, but scientists now know when an ancient lake supported human life in the Namib Sand Sea
Stone, A.
29/07/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment

Cite this

@article{953fc26d59484f99af8c6cada9cab2ac,

title = "Revisiting the Acheulean at Namib IV in the Namib Desert, Namibia",

abstract = "Namib IV (S23° 44.829{\textquoteright}, E14° 19.720{\textquoteright}) is frequently cited, as it is one of few Earlier Stone Age sites in the Sand Sea of the Namib Desert. The site was first investigated in 1978 by Myra Shackley, who described 582 artifacts on the surface of a pan as representing an Acheulean butchery site. Descriptions of the artifacts, their number, and area were inconsistently reported. Recently rediscovered, the site of Namib IV is a rare example of a tool-rich and fossil fauna-bearing pan system in the Namib Sand Sea. This project aims to investigate when, how, and under what environmental conditions hominins utilized these landscapes. This article presents the first archaeological research conducted at the site in over 40 years. Typological and technological data was collected from surface-exposed artifacts and large cutting tools (LCTs) and compared to Shackley{\textquoteright}s assemblage. Data demonstrate that her collection is representative of the Namib IV site and raise many new questions about the original research and the site.",

keywords = "Earlier Stone Age, Large Cutting Tool, LCT, Namib Sand Sea, Namib IV, landscape archaeology, interdunal pan",

author = "George Leader and Rachel Bynoe and Theodore Marks and Abi Stone and Kaarina Efraim and Dominic Stratford and Eugene Marais",

year = "2023",

month = jun,

day = "5",

doi = "10.1080/00934690.2023.2219102",

language = "English",

volume = "48",

pages = "380--394",

journal = "Journal of Field Archaeology",

issn = "0093-4690",

publisher = "Maney Publishing",

number = "5",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Revisiting the Acheulean at Namib IV in the Namib Desert, Namibia

AU - Leader, George

AU - Bynoe, Rachel

AU - Marks, Theodore

AU - Stone, Abi

AU - Efraim, Kaarina

AU - Stratford, Dominic

AU - Marais, Eugene

PY - 2023/6/5

Y1 - 2023/6/5

N2 - Namib IV (S23° 44.829’, E14° 19.720’) is frequently cited, as it is one of few Earlier Stone Age sites in the Sand Sea of the Namib Desert. The site was first investigated in 1978 by Myra Shackley, who described 582 artifacts on the surface of a pan as representing an Acheulean butchery site. Descriptions of the artifacts, their number, and area were inconsistently reported. Recently rediscovered, the site of Namib IV is a rare example of a tool-rich and fossil fauna-bearing pan system in the Namib Sand Sea. This project aims to investigate when, how, and under what environmental conditions hominins utilized these landscapes. This article presents the first archaeological research conducted at the site in over 40 years. Typological and technological data was collected from surface-exposed artifacts and large cutting tools (LCTs) and compared to Shackley’s assemblage. Data demonstrate that her collection is representative of the Namib IV site and raise many new questions about the original research and the site.

AB - Namib IV (S23° 44.829’, E14° 19.720’) is frequently cited, as it is one of few Earlier Stone Age sites in the Sand Sea of the Namib Desert. The site was first investigated in 1978 by Myra Shackley, who described 582 artifacts on the surface of a pan as representing an Acheulean butchery site. Descriptions of the artifacts, their number, and area were inconsistently reported. Recently rediscovered, the site of Namib IV is a rare example of a tool-rich and fossil fauna-bearing pan system in the Namib Sand Sea. This project aims to investigate when, how, and under what environmental conditions hominins utilized these landscapes. This article presents the first archaeological research conducted at the site in over 40 years. Typological and technological data was collected from surface-exposed artifacts and large cutting tools (LCTs) and compared to Shackley’s assemblage. Data demonstrate that her collection is representative of the Namib IV site and raise many new questions about the original research and the site.

KW - Earlier Stone Age

KW - Large Cutting Tool

KW - LCT

KW - Namib Sand Sea

KW - Namib IV

KW - landscape archaeology

KW - interdunal pan

U2 - 10.1080/00934690.2023.2219102

DO - 10.1080/00934690.2023.2219102

M3 - Article

SN - 0093-4690

VL - 48

SP - 380

EP - 394

JO - Journal of Field Archaeology

JF - Journal of Field Archaeology

IS - 5

ER -

Revisiting the Acheulean at Namib IV in the Namib Desert, Namibia

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Projects

Research output

Activities

Press/Media

Cite this