Sitwe 23, a Complex ESA/MSA Locality in the Northern Luangwa Valley, Zambia

This paper describes the lithic aggregates from Sitwe 23 (SW23), a Stone Age locality in a previously unstudied region of the northern Luangwa Valley, Zambia. This area yielded two surface lithic scatters containing abundant artifacts derived from Pleistocene sediments on uplifted terrain and exposed by recent erosion on two adjacent terraces. The scatters are time-averaged palimpsests formed by deflation, but most of the lithics lack evidence of significant fluvial transport or post-depositional damage, indicating minimal horizontal displacement. Typological and attribute analyses of samples from both spurs reveal predominantly simple and expedient core and flake technologies, as well as sophisticated biface manufacture and Levallois technique producing flakes and points that are differentially distributed between the terraces. The artifacts identified in this analysis include types conventionally considered diagnostic of the Acheulean, Sangoan, and Middle Stone Age, suggesting that the collections may document one or more temporal windows during the Chibanian age (770-126 ka). Whether artifacts in these samples were originally deposited sequentially or concurrently is not yet known and alternative hypotheses are presented and discussed. The collections are compared to sites in Zambia and the northern Lake Malawi basin and found to be similar technologically but typologically different. Given the paucity of previously known Ston Age archaeological sites in the region, our work now demonstrates that northern Luangwa has significant archaeological potential and deserves further study. Cet article d & eacute;crit les agr & eacute;gats lithiques de Sitwe 23 (SW23), un site de l'Acirc;ge de pierre situ & eacute; dans une r & eacute;gion auparavant non & eacute;tudi & eacute;e de la vall & eacute;e septentrionale de Luangwa en Zambie. Deux dispersions lithiques en surface, sur deux terrasses adjacentes, ont & eacute;t & eacute; identifi & eacute;es sur un terrain sur & eacute;lev & eacute; et expos & eacute;s par une & eacute;rosion r & eacute;cente, chacune contenant de nombreux artefacts provenant de s & eacute;diments pl & eacute;istoc & egrave;nes. Ces dispersions sont des palimpsestes moyenn & eacute;s dans le temps, form & eacute;s par d & eacute;flation, mais la plupart des artefacts lithiques ne montrent pas d'& eacute;vidences de transport fluvial significatif ou de dommages post-d & eacute;positionnels, indiquant un d & eacute;placement horizontal minimal. Les analyses typologiques et d'attributs des deux zones r & eacute;v & egrave;lent la pr & eacute;dominance d'une technologie d'& eacute;clats et de nucleus simple et exp & eacute;ditive, combin & eacute;e & agrave; une fabrication sophistiqu & eacute;e de bifaces ainsi que d'& eacute;clats et de pointes de technique Levallois qui sont r & eacute;partis de mani & egrave;re diff & eacute;rentielle entre les terrasses. Les artefacts identifi & eacute;s dans cette analyse comprennent des types g & eacute;n & eacute;ralement consid & eacute;r & eacute;s comme diagnostiques de l'Acheul & eacute;en, du Sangoan et du Middle Stone Age, sugg & eacute;rant que les collections pourraient documenter une ou plusieurs fen & ecirc;tres temporelles du Chibanien (770-126 ka). Comme on ignore si ces art & eacute;facts ont & eacute;t & eacute; d & eacute;pos & eacute;s de mani & egrave;re s & eacute;quentielle ou simultan & eacute;e, diff & eacute;rentes hypoth & egrave;ses sont pr & eacute;sent & eacute;es et discut & eacute;es. Des comparaisons de ces collections & agrave; d'autres sites en Zambie et dans le bassin septentrional du lac Malawi r & eacute;v & egrave;lent qu'elles sont technologiquement similaires mais typologiquement diff & eacute;rentes. Compte tenu du manque de sites arch & eacute;ologiques de l'Acirc;ge de pierre connus dans la r & eacute;gion, nos travaux d & eacute;montrent d & eacute;sormais que le nord de vall & eacute;e de la Luangwa poss & egrave;de un potentiel arch & eacute;ologique significatif et m & eacute;rite des recherches suppl & eacute;mentaires.