East African Middle Stone Age technology and the emergence of modern human behaviour

This dissertation is based on the philosophy that technology entrenches itself in the social and geographic landscape, and can be studied in order to shed light on past behaviour. Also, Middle Stone Age assemblages, dating between 300,000 and 30,000 years ago in sub-Saharan Africa, represent a well-preserved technological system containing behavioural patterns that can be used to answer questions on the emergence of modern human behaviour. Literature on the origin and timing of modern human behaviour does not always include the evidence from East Africa, due to limited research and information. Lithic technology reflects past behaviour, and helps to understand when early humans became culturally modern. The objectives of this work were to identify technological patterns during the Middle Stone Age period; to find out whether or not there is variation between and within the Middle Stone Age assemblages studied; and to propose answers about the causes of this variation, and what they represent in behavioural terms.;Data were collected from cores, flakes, and selected tools from five previously excavated Kenyan Middle Stone Age sites. Morphological and metrical data were collected from each artefact using a number of variables. Lastly, the data gathered were analysed and interpreted in light of current debates and anthropological theories on the beginnings of modern behaviour. There was marked variation in Middle Stone Age assemblages, which could have been caused by a number of factors including environmental conditions, resource type and availability, and choice of different reduction techniques and strategies of tool manufacture. Technological patterns reflect early stages of modern human behaviour, with little standardisation within the assemblages. These Middle Stone Age assemblages contain significant evidence of modern human behaviour which is reflected in raw material procurement, exchange patterns, adaptive behaviour, and mastery of craftsmanship. From these results, it seems that modern human behaviour evolved over time, and is manifest in developmental stages during the Middle Stone Age in several sites and assemblages from East Africa. This knowledge, built from the technological assessment, helps to explore aspects of the emergence of modern human behaviour in East Africa.