100th century BCE
Jos Plateau, tropical West Africa, Nigeria
A group of characteristic Acheulian stone-tool assemblages recovered from abandoned river channels on the Jos Plateau. The finds include hand-axes and cleavers, with assemblage composition varying between sites: hand-axes dominate at Pingell and Nok, while cleavers and picks are more prominent at Maiidon Toro. Their morphology suggests Middle or Late Acheulian development, but precise dating and undisturbed stratified contexts remain unavailable.
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The Story
The most characteristic Acheulian assemblages known from tropical West Africa were recovered on the Jos Plateau, where tin-mining operations cut through fluviatile deposits filling abandoned river channels. The archaeological material therefore emerged from deposits shaped by former waterways rather than from a single intact settlement. Several hundred hand-axes and cleavers were recovered from mining sites, revealing a substantial concentration of large bifacial technology in the region.
The sites of Maiidon Toro, Pingell, and Nok display differing tool proportions. At Pingell and Nok, hand-axes predominate, matching the usual composition of Acheulian occurrences. Maiidon Toro is unusual because cleavers are most numerous, followed by picks, while hand-axes form a minority. These differences may reflect technological variation, activity differences, or the selective effects of the depositional contexts.
The bifaces have a Middle or Late Acheulian character, yet their age cannot be established with precision. Earlier correlations with pluvial chronology are considered unreliable, and radiocarbon measurements on associated waterlogged organic material appear to exceed the method’s effective range. No undisturbed, stratified artifact concentration had been excavated, leaving the chronological and behavioral interpretation open to future investigation.
100th century BCE
Jos Plateau, tropical West Africa, Nigeria
A group of characteristic Acheulian stone-tool assemblages recovered from abandoned river channels on the Jos Plateau. The finds include hand-axes and cleavers, with assemblage composition varying between sites: hand-axes dominate at Pingell and Nok, while cleavers and picks are more prominent at Maiidon Toro. Their morphology suggests Middle or Late Acheulian development, but precise dating and undisturbed stratified contexts remain unavailable.
Continue exploring
The Story
The most characteristic Acheulian assemblages known from tropical West Africa were recovered on the Jos Plateau, where tin-mining operations cut through fluviatile deposits filling abandoned river channels. The archaeological material therefore emerged from deposits shaped by former waterways rather than from a single intact settlement. Several hundred hand-axes and cleavers were recovered from mining sites, revealing a substantial concentration of large bifacial technology in the region.
The sites of Maiidon Toro, Pingell, and Nok display differing tool proportions. At Pingell and Nok, hand-axes predominate, matching the usual composition of Acheulian occurrences. Maiidon Toro is unusual because cleavers are most numerous, followed by picks, while hand-axes form a minority. These differences may reflect technological variation, activity differences, or the selective effects of the depositional contexts.
The bifaces have a Middle or Late Acheulian character, yet their age cannot be established with precision. Earlier correlations with pluvial chronology are considered unreliable, and radiocarbon measurements on associated waterlogged organic material appear to exceed the method’s effective range. No undisturbed, stratified artifact concentration had been excavated, leaving the chronological and behavioral interpretation open to future investigation.