Mumba Rock Shelter (Lake Eyasi) – Middle Stone Age Stratigraphy
Mumba · Mumba Shelter · Mumba Höhle · Mumba cave
Middle Stone Age / Later Stone Age·Middle Stone Age hunter-gatherers·🇹🇿 Manyara Region, Lake Eyasi north shore, Mumba escarpment, Tanzania
About
About Mumba Rock Shelter (Lake Eyasi) – Middle Stone Age Stratigraphy
60 m deep sequence from Acheulean bifaces to 30 ka ostrich-eggshell beads and 19 ka geometric microliths bridging Middle Stone Age–Neolithic. Rock paintings overlie MSA horizons. Recorded context — Period: Middle Stone Age / Later Stone Age; Culture: Middle Stone Age hunter-gatherers; Field status: partially excavated; Materials: limestone, sandstone; Condition: ruins.
Why it mattersSignificant regional centre illustrating cultural transition.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology refinement
- 02Function of enclosures
Theories
- 01Trade corridor model
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Acheulean c.400 ka basal; MSA 130–60 ka; LSA 30 ka; paintings Holocene
- Period
- Middle Stone Age / Later Stone Age
- Culture
- Middle Stone Age hunter-gatherers
- Purpose
- Regional centre / fortified town and trade node
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
Acheulean c.400 ka basal; MSA 130–60 ka; LSA 30 ka; paintings Holocene
Initial construction
c. 1669 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
3.5500° S · 35.2833° E · 1200 m · 2 mapped features
Gallery