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Gwisho Hot-Springs
The Gwisho hot-springs are an archaeological site in Lochinvar National Park, Zambia. The location is a rare site for its large quantity of preserved animal and plants remains. The site was first excavated by J. Desmond Clark in 1957, who found faunal remains and quartz tools in the western end of the site. Creighton Gabel excavated the same area in 1960-1961 and more of Gwisho hot-springs was excavated in 1963-1964. It provided an abundance of economic and technological evidence that is without equal anywhere in South Africa. Gwisho hot-springs has a become of a significance importance to African prehistory. Location The Gwisho hot-springs is located on Lochinvar Lodge in Lochinvar National Park, Zambia; it extends over on the south edge of the Kafue Flats, southwest of Monze, and about west of the Lochnivar Ranch. Environment Gwisho hot-springs is in a shallow fault-determined valley with large amounts of alluvia and sand deposits, they’re located above sea-level. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lochinvar National Park
__NOTOC__ The Lochinvar National Park lies south west of Lusaka in Zambia, on the south side of the Kafue River.The habitats the national park protects are a large portion of the southern Kafue Flats floodplain, including the Chunga Lagoon, and drier woodland dominated by termite mounds. Lochinvar is also home to hot springs, echoing rocks, remains of a Neolithic settlement and an Iron Age village on Sebanzi Hill, also known for its caves, ancient baobab and wildlife. The park's northern boundary is marked by the Kafue River. In the south there are wooded hills. The park's total area is 428 square kilometres. The park is very similar to Blue Lagoon National Park on the other side of the Kafue on the northern flats. A former ranch, the park was designated in 1972 and is known for its Kafue lechwe and birdlife, with over 400 species recorded. The other antelopes found here are blue wildebeest, kudu and oribi. The antelope and birds thrive in the absence of larger predators, which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilton Culture
The Wilton culture is the name given by archaeologists to an archaeological culture which was common to parts of south and east Africa around six thousand years ago, during the Stone Age period. The culture is characterized by a greater number of tool types, distinguishing it from its predecessors. It was first described by John Hewitt after he excavated with the collaboration of C. W. Wilmot a cave on the farm Wilton.Hewitt J. (1921). On several implements and ornaments from Strandloper sites in the Eastern Province. S. Afr. J. Sci. 18: 454-467 Locations Occupation sites include that at Kalambo Falls and the valley of Twyfelfontein. Additionally, a partially preserved camp dating to 2300 BC was found in Gwisho, near the Kafue River. Characteristics Its tools are broadly analogous to the European mesolithic Microliths, which are a common artifact type. Later examples of the culture however indicate usage of iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San People
The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are members of various Khoe, Tuu, or Kxʼa-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures that are the first cultures of Southern Africa, and whose territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and South Africa. In 2017, Botswana was home to approximately 63,500 San people (roughly 2.8% of the population) making it the country with the highest number of San people. Definition The term "San" has a long vowel and is spelled Sān (in Khoekhoegowab orthography). It is a Khoekhoe exonym with the meaning of "foragers" and was often used in a derogatory manner to describe nomadic, foraging people. Based on observation of lifestyle, this term has been applied to speakers of three distinct language families living between the Okavango River in Botswana and Etosha National Park in northwestern Namibia, extending up into southern Angola; central peoples of most of Namibia and Botswana, extending into Zambia and Z ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Celtis
''Celtis'' is a genus of about 60–70 species of deciduous trees, commonly known as hackberries or nettle trees, widespread in warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The genus is part of the extended hemp family ( Cannabaceae). Description ''Celtis'' species are generally medium-sized trees, reaching tall, rarely up to tall. The leaves are alternate, simple, long, ovate- acuminate, and evenly serrated margins. Diagnostically, ''Celtis'' can be very similar to trees in the Rosaceae and other rose motif families. Small flowers of this monoecious plant appear in early spring while the leaves are still developing. Male flowers are longer and fuzzy. Female flowers are greenish and more rounded. The fruit is a small drupe in diameter, edible in many species, with a dryish but sweet, sugary consistency, reminiscent of a date. Taxonomy Previously included either in the elm family ( Ulmaceae) or a separate family, Celtidaceae, the APG III system places ''Celti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brachystegia
''Brachystegia'' is a genus of tree of the subfamily Detarioideae that is native to tropical Africa. Trees of the genus are commonly known as miombo, and are dominant in the miombo woodlands of central and southern tropical Africa. The Zambezian region is the centre of diversity for the genus.Emmanuel N. Chidumayo and Davison J. Gumbo, eds. (2010). ''The dry forests and woodlands of Africa: managing for products and services''. Earthscan, 2010. Description Hybridisation between the species occurs and taxa show considerable variation in leaflet size, shape and number, making identification difficult. New leaves show a great range of red colours when immature, later turning to various shades of green. Species * ''Brachystegia allenii'' * ''Brachystegia angustistipulata'' * ''Brachystegia bakeriana'' * ''Brachystegia bequaertii'' * ''Brachystegia boehmii'' * ''Brachystegia bussei'' * ''Brachystegia cynometroides'' * ''Brachystegia eurycoma'' * ''Brachystegia floribunda'' * ''Brac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dalbergia
''Dalbergia'' is a large genus of small to medium-size trees, shrubs and lianas in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Dalbergia'' clade (or tribe): the Dalbergieae. The genus has a wide distribution, native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, Africa, Madagascar and southern Asia. Fossil record A fossil †''Dalbergia phleboptera'' seed pod has been found in a Chattian deposit, in the municipality of Aix-en-Provence in France. Fossils of †''Dalbergia nostratum'' have been found in rhyodacite tuff of Lower Miocene age in Southern Slovakia near the town of Lučenec. Fossil seed pods of †''Dalbergia mecsekense'' have been found in a Sarmatian deposit in Hungary. †''Dalbergia lucida'' fossils have been described from the Xiaolongtan Formation of late Miocene age in Kaiyuan County, Yunnan Province, China. Uses Many species of ''Dalbergia'' are important timber trees ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baikiaea
''Baikiaea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. Species include: *'' Baikiaea fragrantissima'' *'' Baikiaea ghesquiereana'' *'' Baikiaea insignis'' *''Baikiaea plurijuga'' – Rhodesian-teak *'' Baikiaea robynsii'' Ghesq. ex Laing *'' Baikiaea suzannae'' Ghesq. *'' Baikiaea zenkeri'' ''Baikiaea'' is the characteristic tree of two dry woodland ecoregions of southern Africa, the Kalahari Acacia-Baikiaea woodlands and Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands.Burgess, N., Hales, J. D., Underwood, E. ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar: A Conservation Assessment''. Island Press, Washington DC. 2004. The genus is named after William Balfour Baikie (1824-1864), Scottish explorer of the Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali .... ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly applied to Iron Age Europe and the Ancient Near East, but also, by analogy, to other parts of the Old World. The duration of the Iron Age varies depending on the region under consideration. It is defined by archaeological convention. The "Iron Age" begins locally when the production of iron or steel has advanced to the point where iron tools and weapons replace their bronze equivalents in common use. In the Ancient Near East, this transition took place in the wake of the Bronze Age collapse, in the 12th century BC. The technology soon spread throughout the Mediterranean Basin region and to South Asia ( Iron Age in India) between the 12th and 11th century BC. Its further spread to Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central Europe is somewhat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Late Stone Age
The Later Stone Age (LSA) is a period in African prehistory that follows the Middle Stone Age. The Later Stone Age is associated with the advent of modern human behavior in Africa, although definitions of this concept and means of studying it are up for debate. The transition from the Middle Stone Age to the Late Stone Age is thought to have occurred first in eastern Africa between 50,000 and 39,000 years ago. It is also thought that Later Stone Age peoples and/or their technologies spread out of Africa over the next several thousand years. The terms "Early Stone Age", "Middle Stone Age" and "Later Stone Age" in the context of African archaeology are not to be confused with the terms Lower Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic, and Upper Paleolithic. They were introduced in the 1920s, as it became clear that the existing chronological system of Upper, Middle, and Lower Paleolithic was not a suitable correlate to the prehistoric past in Africa. Some scholars, however, continue to view ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johann Carl Vogel
Johann Carl "John" Vogel (7 September 1932 – 30 January 2012) was a South African isotope physicist with a specific interest in archeology for which he used radiocarbon dating to establish timeframes. Career Vogel was born on 7 September 1932 in Pretoria. He obtained a BSc in chemistry in 1951, and a MSc in 1955, both from the University of Pretoria. He moved to Germany to study at Heidelberg University where he obtained a doctorate under Otto Haxel in 1959. The subject of his thesis was determination of carbon isotope fractionation factors. In 1961 Vogel wanted to move back to South Africa, but there being no suitable job available for him he instead moved to the Netherlands and obtained the position of head of the Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory at the University of Groningen. The position had become available after the death of Hessel de Vries. Vogel later became a professor of isotope geology at Groningen. In 1967 Vogel returned to South Africa and set up a laboratory at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the northeast, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the southeast, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south, Namibia to the southwest, and Angola to the west. The capital city of Zambia is Lusaka, located in the south-central part of Zambia. The nation's population of around 19.5 million is concentrated mainly around Lusaka in the south and the Copperbelt Province to the north, the core economic hubs of the country. Originally inhabited by Khoisan peoples, the region was affected by the Bantu expansion of the thirteenth century. Following the arrival of European explorers in the eighteenth century, the British colonised the region into the British protectorates of Barotseland-No ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radiocarbon
Carbon-14, C-14, or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic materials is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and colleagues (1949) to date archaeological, geological and hydrogeological samples. Carbon-14 was discovered on February 27, 1940, by Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben at the University of California Radiation Laboratory in Berkeley, California. Its existence had been suggested by Franz Kurie in 1934. There are three naturally occurring isotopes of carbon on Earth: carbon-12 (), which makes up 99% of all carbon on Earth; carbon-13 (), which makes up 1%; and carbon-14 (), which occurs in trace amounts, making up about 1 or 1.5 atoms per 1012 atoms of carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon-12 and carbon-13 are both stable, while carbon-14 is unstable and has a half-life of 5,730 ± 40 years. Carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14 () through beta decay. A g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
