An Experimental and Archaeological Usewear Analysis of Quartz Artifacts from Mvumu, Mozambique
Date
2015-05-27
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Abstract
Quartz is ubiquitous across assemblages in Africa. Despite this, little research
aimed at documenting and identifying exactly how these quartz tools were utilized, with specific regard to their use actions and worked materials, have been attempted. To more fully understand how quartz materials were utilized at the Middle Stone Age site of Mvumu, Mozambique, both experimental and archaeological usewear analyses of quartz
artifacts were undertaken. The experimental work conducted for this thesis utilized local quartz sourced from the shore of Lake Niassa, Mozambique. Tools made from this material were then utilized in a variety of tasks consisting of a number of different materials, and working actions. This experimental program served as a basis for the identification of usewear traces on quartz artifacts excavated from Mvumu. The results of the archaeological analysis include a number of tasks and worked materials suggesting
Mvumu was used as a short term, multipurpose campsite.
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Archaeology
Citation
Simpson, S. (2015). An Experimental and Archaeological Usewear Analysis of Quartz Artifacts from Mvumu, Mozambique (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24883