Middle Stone Age Lithic Technology at Mvumu, Niassa, Mozambique

For over ten years the origin of modern human behaviour has been the focus of the majority of Middle Stone Age (MSA) research in Africa. However, the analytical value of the modern behaviour concept has recently been questioned. Critics argue that studying less abstract MSA ecology and behavioural variability would better serve our understanding of the period, but such studies are hindered by the fragmentary and unevenly distributed nature of the fundamental aspects of MSA archaeology. This thesis makes a step forward in filling the gaps in this record by presenting lithic technology from a final MSA open air site called Mvumu in the Niassa basin of northern Mozambique. The results suggest that Mvumu fits well with other Niassa basin sites and sites throughout the south-central African woodlands and forests suggests that Mvumu's lithic technology belongs to an overarching technological complex throughout the greater area.