An Archaeological Investigation of Laloi East Molluscs Site at Kpone, Ghana

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Fritz Biveridge
Keyword(s):  
Palm Kernel ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Later Stone Age ◽  
Subsistence Strategy ◽  
Subsistence Strategies ◽  
Archaeological Investigation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Lithic Tools ◽  
Palm Fruits ◽  
Greater Accra Region

Abstract This article is a report of an archaeological investigation of the Laloi East Molluscs Site at Kpone, Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Although radiometric dates for this shell midden are currently unavailable, we believe that Laloi East dates to the Later Stone Age. If so, this site would be one of only two LSA sites in Ghana found and excavated along the coast rather than in the forested interior. This article examines shellfish exploitation and other major subsistence strategies of the population that settled the site in the past. The principal cultural materials recovered from the excavations comprised large quantities of molluscs’ remains belonging to a variety of species, other faunal remains, pottery, palm kernel nuts, charcoal, stone slabs, and lithic tools. The combined evidence indicates that molluscs’ exploitation was the principal subsistence strategy of the settlers, undertaken alongside hunting, trapping, herding and the gathering of edible botanical resources such as palm fruits.

Changing Patterns in the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene Prehistory of Southern Africa as Seen from the Nelson Bay Cave Stone Artifact Sequence

1978 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janette Deacon
Keyword(s):  
Southern Africa ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Middle Stone Age ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Later Stone Age ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Changing Patterns ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Stone Artifact

The dating of the Stone Age sequence in southern Africa has been considerably revised over the last decade, and one of the anomalies which has resulted is that the Middle Stone Age, now dated to beyond 30,000 B.P., does not immediately precede the Later Stone Agesensu stricto. The excavation and analysis of occupation horizons dating between the most recent Middle Stone Age assemblages and the Holocene is therefore of particular interest. Nelson Bay Cave, situated on the southern coast of South Africa, contains deposits which partly fill the “gap” between the Middle and Later Stone Ages, and the occupation horizons dating between about 18,000 and 5000 years ago are described in this paper. Changes in the habitat in the vicinity of the site caused by sea-level and vegetation changes coincident with the amelioration of temperatures at the end of the Pleistocene are clearly marked in the faunal remains at the site. Largely correlated with the faunal changes (which includes the introduction of marine resources to the cave at about 12,000 B.P.) are changes in the stone artifact assemblages. Three industries are recognized in the sequence: the Robberg, characterized by microbladelets produced from bladelet cores and a few small scrapers and backed tools; the Albany, characterized by large scrapers and an absence of backed tools; and the Wilton, characterized by a variety of Formal Tools including relatively large numbers of small scrapers and backed tools. These changes in artifact-manufacturing traditions are interpreted as signaling adjustments to changing environmental conditions. An explanation for these adjustments is not sought in a simple cause-and-effect relationship between the environment and the cultural response; artifact changes are seen instead as the result of a twofold process, with the environment acting as an external stimulus to change, and the direction of the artifact change governed by the selection of a range of possibilities offered by the technology of the Later Stone Agesensu latothat was widespread in subequatorial Africa during the last 20,000 years.

scholarly journals Notes on distribution and relative abundances of some animal species, and on climate in the Kruger National Park during prehistoric times

Koedoe ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ina Plug
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Animal Population ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
The Past ◽  
Relative Abundances ◽  
Insight Into

Faunal remains obtained from archaeological sites in the Kruger National Park, provide valuable information on the distributions of animal species in the past. The relative abundances of some species are compared with animal population statistics of the present. The study of the faunal samples, which date from nearly 7 000 years before present until the nineteenth century, also provides insight into climatic conditions during prehistoric times.

scholarly journals Giving shape to the past: Pre-columbia in nineteenth-century Mexican literary journals

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-375
Author(s):  
Adam T. Sellen
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Archaeological Investigation ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mexican Society ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Literary Journals ◽  
Mexican Nationalism ◽  
Literary Journal ◽  
The Grotesque

Abstract The literary journal “El Museo Mexicano” (1843-1845) marked a watershed in Mexican nationalism, and sought to shape aspirations of an elite segment of nineteenth-century Mexican society eager to claim a post-colonial identity by exploring the cultural and historical strands that were combined in the young Republic. The editors solicited contributions from Mexican authors on a wide range of subjects, from descriptions of contemporary provincial life to accounts of recent discoveries of pre-Hispanic monuments and artifacts. The aim was to provide a more complete and up-to-date image of Mexico, rich in anecdotal detail and lavishly illustrated. In this paper I will explore how this new literary platform argued for the validity of archaeological investigation in the American context, and ultimately shaped how Mexicans perceived their past. Though my focus is primarily on the articles in “El Museo Mexicano” I will also analyze some of the visual tropes and traditions, from the picturesque to the grotesque that inspired illustration in other Mexican journals of the same genre.

Oil Recovery from Palm Fruits and Palm Kernel

Palm Oil ◽  
2012 ◽  
pp. 299-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jude Uche Obibuzor ◽  
Emmanuel Arabame Okogbenin ◽  
Roland Doye Abigor
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Palm Kernel ◽  
Palm Fruits

Ostrich Eggshell Beads in Later Stone Age Contexts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Collins
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Site Formation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Later Stone Age ◽  
The Past ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa ◽  
Analytical Approaches ◽  
Ostrich Eggshell

Ostrich eggshell (OES) beads are a common feature of Later Stone Age (LSA) archaeology throughout eastern and southern Africa and have the potential to inform on site use, cultural diversity, social networks, and site formation. However, too often OES bead assemblages have not been recorded or studied in the necessary detail to make meaningful contributions to these important questions. In this respect, and to aid future research focusing on the African LSA, OES and OES beads must be discussed in detail, beginning with a background to ostriches and their eggs and commenting on why OES is an important raw material. Then, one should consider OES beads in detail, specifically, the manufacturing process, the social context in which they were made, and how they may have been used in the past. Subsequently, the focus should be on how OES bead assemblages are analyzed, as well as archaeometric approaches to studying OES bead residues and OES bead provenance. The potential insights gained from these diverse and multidisciplinary analytical approaches, especially when combined, are then highlighted through discussing trends in OES bead research from African LSA contexts. These trends include the contribution of OES beads to understanding the complex transition from hunter-gatherers to herders, the identification of different cultural groups in the past, and identifying the presence and extent of past social networks. The final focus should be on future research directions that will benefit OES bead research, specifically more detailed approaches to understanding OES bead diversity and the expansion of experimentally derived taphonomic frameworks for identifying past human and nonhuman behaviors in OES bead assemblages. Future research should build on the growing body of detailed OES bead analyses, as they provide unique insight and a strong complement to traditional archaeological approaches to understanding past peoples, groups, and cultures during the African LSA.

scholarly journals Associations Between Household Livestock Ownership and Anemia in Children 6 to 59 Months Old in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 140-140
Author(s):  
Nathalie Lambrecht ◽  
Gloria Folson ◽  
Ana Baylin ◽  
Mark Wilson ◽  
Joseph Eisenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Serum Ferritin ◽  
Poultry Meat ◽  
Cow Milk ◽  
International Institute ◽  
Lower Odds ◽  
The Past ◽  
Livestock Ownership ◽  
Small Livestock ◽  
Greater Accra Region

Abstract Objectives We aimed to assess the relationship between household livestock ownership and childhood anemia in Ghana and examine whether animal-source food (ASF) consumption or illness mediates this association. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 470 children aged 6 to 59 months in two districts of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. We measured hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, iron status biomarkers (serum ferritin and serum transferrin receptor), and inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein and α-1-acid glycoprotein). Mothers were asked about the child's consumption of ASF in the past 3 months and symptoms of illness in the past 7 days. Household livestock ownership was defined as owning no livestock, some poultry, many poultry, small livestock and poultry, or cattle, small livestock and poultry. Results Overall, 47.9% of children were anemic (Hb < 11.0 g/dL), and of these, 40.0% had iron deficiency based on low serum ferritin and 39.6% had elevated levels of inflammation. Children from households with cattle had lower odds of anemia (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.88) compared to households with no livestock, adjusting for child and household sociodemographic characteristics. Among children 24–59 months old from households with both small livestock and poultry there were lower odds of anemia (OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.95). Although poultry meat and cow milk consumption were higher among poultry- and cattle-owning households, respectively, we did not find that consumption of these foods mediated the association between livestock ownership and either anemia or iron deficiency. Furthermore, less than one-quarter of children consumed meat and eggs that were sourced from their household's own animals. There were no associations between livestock ownership and illness symptoms or inflammation. Conclusions Children living in households that owned small or large ruminants with poultry were less likely to be anemic, but this association was not mediated through higher consumption of ASF. Our study suggests that livestock may be beneficial in this Ghanaian context, but the pathways through which livestock impacts child anemia require further investigation. Funding Sources University of Michigan (U-M) International Institute, U-M Office of Global Public Health, U-M African Studies Center, U-M Rackham Graduate School, U-M Nutritional Sciences Department.

scholarly journals The comparative keeping qualities of palm kernel, coconut, ground-nut and other oil-cakes

1917 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-428
Author(s):  
William Godden
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
Good Condition ◽  
Palm Kernel ◽  
Palm Kernel Cake ◽  
The Past ◽  
Oil Cakes ◽  
Frequent Reference

One of the difficulties which hinder the extended use of the nut-oil-cakes (palm kernel, coconut and ground-nut) is the prevalent impression that these cakes deteriorate rapidly on keeping. In recent articles dealing with these cakes frequent reference has been made to this point. Thus Voelcker (9) in his Annual Report for 1914 states that “one inconvenience attaching to palm-nut and coconut cakes is that they do not keep as well as linseed and cotton cakes and that there is a tendency for them to turn rancid.” In his Report for 1915, however, he says, “I have come across but few instances either with palm-nut cake or meal, in which these have been rancid or not in good condition.” Murray (8) states that manufacturers should realise that they still have to reassure farmers regarding the keeping qualities of palm kernel cake. In a later article in the Journal of the Board of Agriculture (3) it is stated that “palm-nut kernel cakes in the past have had the reputation of soon going rancid…. At the present day, before the kernels are crushed they are subjected to a process of cooking, by which the ferment that causes the oil to turn rancid is rendered inactive.” The validity of this latter assertion seems doubtful in the light of the recent work of Calder (2) which shows that the lipase, present in the resting seed in the form of its zymogen, is not destroyed during the manufacture of the cake, the mass of crushed kernels not being sufficiently heated in every part prior to pressing to secure this object completely. Similar statements have been made as to the liability of coconut and ground-nut cakes to become rancid on storing (3,4).

Aspects of ancient Macedonian costume

1993 ◽  
Vol 113 ◽  
pp. 122-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chryssoula Saatsoglou-Paliadeli
Keyword(s):  
Archaeological Research ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Archaeological Investigation ◽  
The Past ◽  
The People ◽  
Literary Sources ◽  
Hellenistic World

A judicious combination of literary sources and archaeological research has often offered rewarding historical insights. In Macedonian studies such attempts have tended to be less fruitful, due to the scanty nature of the material and literary evidence. Now that archaeological investigation has expanded so widely in Northern Greece, it may be time to reassess aspects of Macedonian culture which have in the past been tackled with more enthusiasm than actual evidence, not surprisingly in view of the age-long interest in the people who shaped the Hellenistic world.

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