Browsing by Author "Bower, John R. F."

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    Attributes of Oldowan and lower acheulean tools: tradition and design in the early lower paleolithic
    (Fosbrooke, 1980) Bower, John R. F.
    Attribute data have been collected on Oldowan and Lower Acheulean tools—choppers and scrapers — from a series of sites in sub-Saharan Africa. The data were collected with a view toward shedding light on (1) taxonomic relationships among the occurrences, (2) the typology of the varieties of tools in question (as well as more general aspects of the typology of early Lower Paleolithic artefacts), and (3) broad principles of design. The major analytical approach involved scanning the data for statistically significant differences in mean values for attributes between taxonomic entities, and between classes of raw material. Included among the more important results of the study are proposed revisions of the existing taxonomy, such as the inclusion of the Lower Acheulean in the Oldowan Industrial Complex and the recognition of the importance of size as a design criterion for the choppers and scrapers
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    Culture, environment and technology: preliminary results of an archaeological study in Kenya
    (Fosbrooke, 1978) Bower, John R. F.
    During 1975-6, extensive data were collected on late prehistoric cultures in the Central Rift Valley, Kenya, and adjoining regions. A stratified archaeological survey was conducted in an area of about 22,000 km2 centering on the Naivasha and Nakuru lake basins. The area was divided into 20 units (strata) defined by elevation and precipitation, and approximately 5% of each unit was targeted for survey. Although the study was aimed primarily at later stone age cultures, no stage of prehistory was excluded from the survey, and the data also reflect earlier stone age and iron age cultures. Just over 100 sites were located, and test excavations were conducted in 9 of them. A preliminary analysis of the survey materials and excavated data provides interesting insights on settlement behavior, technology, and culture history.
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    Preliminary report of a study of prehistoric cultures of the Serengeti National Park
    (Fosbrooke, 1977) Bower, John R. F.
    During a six-week period in July and August of 1977, Iowa State University, represented by the author, and the Department of Antiquities (Ministry of National Culture and Youth), represented by Mr. John Kang'wezi, conducted an initial archaeological exploration of the Serengeti National Park. The work was authorized by a Research Clearance from the Tanzania National Scientific Research Council (ref. no. NSR/CONF/RC of 5th July, 1977) and an Excavation License from the Antiquities Department (ref. no. UTV/ DMK/4021/11/199, dated 9th July, 1977). The following report is a preliminary summary of the results of the research so authorized.
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    Preliminary report to the Tanzania National Scientific Research Council concerning archeology research in the Serengeti national park
    (Fosbrooke, 1979) Bower, John R. F.
    During July and August, 1979, an archaeological site on the Loiyangalani River, Serengeti National Park, was excavated as a joint undertaking by the Tanzania Antiquities Department, the Serengeti Research Institute, and Iowa State University. The excavation was directed by the author of this report, who had received a Form C research clearance from the Tanzania National Scientific Research Council (ref. no. NSF/CONF/RC, dated 21st April, 1979). The co-director was Mr. Kang1wezi, who is a conservator in the Antiquities Department and is pursuing a master's degree in anthropology at Iowa State University. A final report on the project will be submitted after the analysis of excavated material has been completed. (It is anticipated that Hr. Kang'wezi's thesis will focus on the analysis of artifacts from the Loiyangalani site.) Copies of the present report have been submitted to the Director of the Antiquities Department, the Tanzania National Parks, and the Serengeti Research Institute.
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    Seronera: excavations at a stone bowl site in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
    (Fosbrooke, 1989) Bower, John R. F.
    During the excavation of foundations for a new game lodge at Seronera in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, three complete stone bowls were collected by the construction contractor in 1970. These were brought to the attention of Messrs. Dalgliesh Marshall & Associates, architects and construction consultants for the lodge, who in turn notified the National Museum in Nairobi of the finds. As a result, the site was visited briefly by R. C. Soper, then Assistant Director of the British Institute in Eastern Africa, on November 24, 1970, to examine the context of the finds and determine whether the site merited excavation. Although Mr. Soper was unable to establish the precise provenance of the three stone bowls or their association (if any) with other artefacts, his careful inspection of soil heaps resulting from the contractor’s excavations revealed an additional stone bowl fragment (described below), together with other artefacts (especially potsherds) broadly resembling those that have been found in association with stone bowls at “neolithic” sites in the Central Rift Valley. Since there appeared to be several promising localities for excavation in the area to be occupied by the new game lodge, and since construction plans for the lodge called for paving and/or excavating most such localities, Mr. Soper concluded that rescue excavations should be carried out at Seronera at the earliest opportunity. Accordingly, an excavation permit was obtained from the Tanzanian government, and on January 26, 1971 an expedition composed of the author and two staff members of the British Institute left Nairobi for Seronera. During an excavation period of just over two weeks, six localities within the area to be occupied by the game lodge were tested; the total surface area represented by the six localities amounted to about 43.5 sq. m, and the depth of excavation varied from about 10 to 80 cm. All excavated soil was passed through a screen having five holes to the inch.