Shum Laka rock shelter (Lower Horizon; gray ash)
Basic information
Sample name: Shum Laka rock shelter (Lower Horizon; gray ash)
Reference: P. Lavachery. 2001. The Holocene archaeological sequence of Shum Laka rock shelter (Grassfields, western Cameroon). African Archaeological Review 18(4):213-247 [ER 3768]
Geography
Country: Cameroon
State: Northwest
Coordinate: 5° 51' 31" N, 10° 4' 40" E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Holocene
Section: 3768
Unit number: 3
Unit order: below to above
Max Ma: 0.00607
Min Ma: 0.00381
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "Shum Laka rock shelter is situated in the Northwest Province of Cameroon, some 17 km southwest of Bamenda, on the territory of Bafochu-Mbu village. It lies in a small gallery forest bordered by savanna, some 1600 m asl".
"There is a single radiocarbon date of 3810 B.P. from the upper part of the Lower Horizon of the gray ash layer (2500–2000 cal. BC). This date is a terminus ante quem; the occupation phase probably extends between 6000-5000 and 4000 BP".
"There is a single radiocarbon date of 3810 B.P. from the upper part of the Lower Horizon of the gray ash layer (2500–2000 cal. BC). This date is a terminus ante quem; the occupation phase probably extends between 6000-5000 and 4000 BP".
Environment
Lithology: ash
Taphonomic context: human accumulation,rock shelter
Archaeology: burials,ceramics,stone tools
Habitat comments: "Shum Laka rock shelter covers a surface area of 1200 m2 and contains three main stratigraphic units. The Holocene deposits consist mainly of anthropogenic ashes known as the “A” layer: a lens-shaped mantle that dips from the back to the opening of the cave. It is divided into two members: the ochre ash layer and the gray ash layer".
"The sample from the Lower Horizon of the gray ash layer consists of 33,393 lithic artifacts, with basalt now the main raw material (63% of the industry). Flaking methods have dramatically evolved, since blade technology is now well attested in the basalt assemblage. Up to 50% of the blades are obviously prepared, and blade cores, both single and opposed platforms, are present. The most frequent item is the basalt bifacial tool. Other typical new basalt tools are the retouched blades and points. Pottery has also become much more frequent; four hundred and eight sherds were found in this horizon, in addition to three tombs. The burials contained 14 individuals, of which only two were adults".
"The sample from the Lower Horizon of the gray ash layer consists of 33,393 lithic artifacts, with basalt now the main raw material (63% of the industry). Flaking methods have dramatically evolved, since blade technology is now well attested in the basalt assemblage. Up to 50% of the blades are obviously prepared, and blade cores, both single and opposed platforms, are present. The most frequent item is the basalt bifacial tool. Other typical new basalt tools are the retouched blades and points. Pottery has also become much more frequent; four hundred and eight sherds were found in this horizon, in addition to three tombs. The burials contained 14 individuals, of which only two were adults".
Methods
Life forms: bats,carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals,snakes,snails
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 208 specimens
Sampling comments: "A total of 82 m2 of the rock shelter was excavated, opened in two main areas: Sector 1 (in the centre and back of the shelter) and Sector 2 (closer to the entrance). Because of a lack of any finer exploitable stratigraphical features in the very loose ash layers, the excavation proceeded by artificial horizontal spits. In total, the excavations recovered half a million stone artifacts, over 1200 pottery sherds, 18 human skeletons, and thousands of faunal and plant remains".
Metadata
Sample number: 4037
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-10-28 14:04:10
Modified: 2023-05-30 03:09:33
Abundance distribution
16 species
9 singletons
total count 208
geometric series index: 42.5
Fisher's α: 4.040
geometric series k: 0.7442
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7186
Shannon's H: 1.6265
Good's u: 0.9568
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
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| Civettictis civetta | 1 | 14 kg frugivore-insectivore |
| "Viverra civetta" | ||
| Hylochoerus meinertzhageni | 66 | |
| Cephalophus sp. | 6 | |
| Tragelaphus scriptus | 6 | 31 kg browser-grazer |
| Syncerus caffer nanus | 19 | 548 kg grazer-browser |
| Thryonomys swinderianus | 16 | 5.2 kg |
| Cricetomys sp. | 1 | |
| "Crycetomis"; also 4 Rodentia indet. | ||
| Papio sp. | 2 | |
| also 10 Cercopithecidae indet. | ||
| Pan troglodytes | 1 | 36 kg frugivore-folivore |
| Rousettus aegyptiacus | 1 | 129 g frugivore |
| also 1 Pteropodidae indet. | ||
| Serpentes indet. | 1 | |
| "Ophidia indet." | ||
| Achatina sp. | 84 | |
| Gulella sp. | 1 | |
| Gonaxis sp. | 1 | |
| Thapsia sp. | 1 | |