90th century BCE – 50th century BCE
North-eastern shore of Lake Edward, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ishango is a Later Stone Age lakeshore settlement near the Semliki River on Lake Edward. Its quartz industry combined crude microliths with surviving Mode 3 techniques, while barbed bone points developed through three stratified forms. Harpoons, fish remains, molluscs, and net-related equipment indicate fishing as a major economic activity. The faunal record suggests a wetter past climate than the present.
Continue exploring
The Story
Ishango stood near the confluence of the Semliki River on the north-eastern shore of Lake Edward. Three Later Stone Age levels occupied an old beach approximately ten metres above the modern lake, placing the settlement within a changing lakeshore environment.
The inhabitants worked quartz, producing an industry described as remarkably crude in appearance. Mode 3 techniques continued alongside crude backed microliths, while mullers and grinders were also frequent. The sequence therefore records technological continuity as well as the adoption of microlithic forms.
Barbed bone points provide the clearest internal progression. Small biserial examples in the lowest level were followed by larger biserial forms and then uniserial specimens in the uppermost layer; the larger points sometimes had basal notches suitable for attaching a line, supporting their interpretation as harpoons used in fishing.
Fish and mollusc remains, together with harpoons, indicate that aquatic resources were central to the settlement’s economy. Forest mammals and aquatic species no longer present in the vicinity or lake suggest that the environment was somewhat wetter during occupation than it is today.
90th century BCE – 50th century BCE
North-eastern shore of Lake Edward, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ishango is a Later Stone Age lakeshore settlement near the Semliki River on Lake Edward. Its quartz industry combined crude microliths with surviving Mode 3 techniques, while barbed bone points developed through three stratified forms. Harpoons, fish remains, molluscs, and net-related equipment indicate fishing as a major economic activity. The faunal record suggests a wetter past climate than the present.
Continue exploring
The Story
Ishango stood near the confluence of the Semliki River on the north-eastern shore of Lake Edward. Three Later Stone Age levels occupied an old beach approximately ten metres above the modern lake, placing the settlement within a changing lakeshore environment.
The inhabitants worked quartz, producing an industry described as remarkably crude in appearance. Mode 3 techniques continued alongside crude backed microliths, while mullers and grinders were also frequent. The sequence therefore records technological continuity as well as the adoption of microlithic forms.
Barbed bone points provide the clearest internal progression. Small biserial examples in the lowest level were followed by larger biserial forms and then uniserial specimens in the uppermost layer; the larger points sometimes had basal notches suitable for attaching a line, supporting their interpretation as harpoons used in fishing.
Fish and mollusc remains, together with harpoons, indicate that aquatic resources were central to the settlement’s economy. Forest mammals and aquatic species no longer present in the vicinity or lake suggest that the environment was somewhat wetter during occupation than it is today.