A Report on the History of the Acheulean Industry of Mai Idon Toro in the Central-Region of Nigeria

  • Jock Matthew Agai University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30560/ch.v1n1p29
Keywords: acheul, early humans, evolution, Mai Idon Toro, modern humans, NAFOK, Oldowan

Abstract

The last time the Acheulean tools at Mai Idon Toro (NAFOK) were collected and studied scientifically by different archaeologists/historians for the purpose of national and international patronage was in the 1920s through the 1960s. After the 60s up-to-date, many writers have been writing about the Acheulean tools in NAFOK without having a physical contact with the tools or without having a direct understanding of the dilapidated state of the Acheulean site in NAFOK. More so, in the process of this study, I have not come across any single library material that deals specifically and wholly with the Acheulean industry in NAFOK, instead; the subject is casually or indirectly referenced as secondary. The information from the secondary sources I collected about NAFOK was peripheral and in distinct pieces seemingly because a specific author had not wholly dealt with the subject. This instigated the need to visit the Acheulean site in NAFOK in search of primary sources or information. This research is a study of the history of the researches done strictly about NAFOK and its Acheulean finds. The aims of this research are first, to give an update on the history of researches done about the Acheulean in NAFOK and second, to create further awareness on the need to encourage the patronage of public archaeology among Nigerians using the Acheulean site in NAFOK as a case study.

Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The presence of fossils and bones of early humans found in Eastern, Northern and Southern Africa are often referred to as the “direct evidence” for the existence of early humans in these regions of Africa. This is so because there is a view among many archaeologists, anthropologists and paleontologists according to which bones are reliable evidence for the existence of early humans than stone tools. Bone tools or bone evidence for the existence of early humans in West Africa is scanty. Archaeologists rely on stone tools to explain the probable existence of early humans in West Africa and the stone tools are referred to as “indirect evidence.” It is likely that early humans might have lived in NAFOK not because direct evidence has been found but indirect evidence. This research is a study of the indirect evidence found in NAFOK for the existence of early humans. Historical archeologists and students of anthropology and West African history would find this research of great benefit because it discusses the contentious history of the view according to which early humans lived in NAFOK millions of years ago.

References

Agai, M. J. (2014). An Archaeological Search for the Emergence of Early Humans in West Africa. HTS Teolologiese Studies/Theological Studies, 70(1), 1-7. Art.#2033. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v70i1.2033
Agai, M. J., Danjuma, P., Chiwem, C. D., & Dido, G. E. (2020). Field Work in Search of Stone Age tools at Mai Idon Toro (NAFOK), 31stMay.
Balfour, H. (1934). Occurrence of Cleavers of Lower Palaeolithic Type in Northern Nigeria. MAN, 1-25, 1934.
Boateng, A. E. (1978). A Political Geography of Africa (University of Cambridge Press, London, 1978).
Bond, G. (1956).A preliminary Account of the Pleistocene Geology of the Plateau Tin Fields Region of Northern Nigeria.Proceedings of the International West Africa Conference 1949, Ibadan, 187-202, 1956.
Braunholtz, J. H.(1926). Stone Implements of Palaeolithic and Neolithic Type from Nigeria. Occasional Paper No. 4, Geological Survey of Nigeria, 124-184.
Breuil, H. (1932). LesIndustrisa Eclats du Paleolithique Acien, 1. –Le Clantonien. Prehistoir 1.
Chan, S. (1997). Man and Sin: An Independent Study Textbook, 2nd (edition), ICI University Press, Texas.
Diez-Martin, F. (2015). The Origin of the Acheulean: The 1.7 Million-Year-Old Site of FLK West, Oldovai Gorge (Tanzania). Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/articles/sren17839
Erickson, J. (2020). Smallest Homo Erectus Cranium in Africa and Diverse Stone Tools Found at Gona, Ethiopia. Retrieved 13/7/2020from http://phys.org/news/2020-03-smallest-homo-erectus-cranium-africa.html
Fagg B.E.B. (1956). An Outline of the Stone Age of the Plateau Minesfield.Proceeding of the International West African Conference1949, Ibadan, 1-20.
Gore, R. (2003). The Rise of Mammal. National Geographic, 203(4), 2-37, 2003.
Goodwin, A. J. H. (1935). A Commentary on the History and Present Position of South African Prehistory with Full Bibliography. Bantu Stud. (9),, 291-417. Retrievd from http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4920301/
Gowlett J. A. J. (2006). The Elements of Design form in AcheulianBifaces: Modes, Modalities, Rules and Language.Axe Age Acheulian Tool Making from Quarry to Discard, Goren-Inbar N. and Sharon G. (edited), London, Equinox, 1-20. Retrieved 2/8/2019from http://pcwww.liv.ac.uk/~gowlett/gowlett-designform-jer-1005.pdf
Green, O. P., Stout, G. W., & John, D. T. (1990). Biological science 2: Systems, Maintenance and Change, Soper R. (edited), (Cambridge University Press, New York, 1990).
Harvati, K., Chris, S., Rainer, G., Maxime, A. (2011). Philip Allsworth-Jones and Caleb Adebayo Folorunso, “The Later Stone Age from Iwo Eleru, Nigeria: Morphology and Chronology. PLOS ONE,6(9), 1-16. https://doi.org/10371/journal.pnone.0024024
Ladan, N. P. (2016). Examining the Basic Attributes of the Acheulian Industries: A Case Study of West Africa,”Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, 1-27. Retrieved 3/5/2020 from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.academia.edu/3025244/EXAMINING_THE_ACHEULIAN_ATTRIBUTES_A_CASE_STUDY_OF_WEST_AFRICA&ved=2ahUKEwiTS8sl-e3qAhWMzoUKHTfRDewQFjAAegQIAxAC&usg=AOvVaw2clfriOEAblcJSExndjJO&cshid=1595870611641
Lange, D. (2004). Ancient Kingdoms of West Africa: Africa-Centred and Canaanite-Israelites Perspective, a Collection of Published and Unpublished Studies in English and French (J.H. Roll, Dettelbach, 2004).
Maren, A. B., Roseline, O.M., & Abdulmalik, S. (2015). Immigrant Populations Growth, Trade Opportunities and Inter-Group Relations in Jos Mining Camps 1914-1945. Valley International Journal, 2(6), 1415-1423. Retrieved 7/8/2020from http://valleyinternational.net/index.php/our-jou/thesjsshi
Omolewa, M. (2008). Certificate history of Nigeria (Longman, Ikeja, 2008).
Pam, G. B. (2020). Interview on “The Acheulean in NAFOK,” 31st May 2020.
Paul, B. H. (1994). Genesis: An Independent-Study Textbook (ICI University Press, Irving, 1994).
Raven, H. P., & Johnson, B. G. (1999). Biology 5th (edition)(WCB McGraw-Hill, New York, 1999).
Scheepers, C.,& Scheffler, E. (2000). From Dan to Beersheba: An Archaeological Tour of Ancient Israel (Biblia, Pretoria,2000).
Shaw, Thurstan: English Archaeologist (1914-2013). Biography, Facts, Career, 1-4. Retrieved 19/7/2020 from https://peoplepill.com/people/charles-thurstan-shaw/
Shaw, T. (2004). Prehistory.Groundwork of Nigerian history, O. Ikime (edited) (Heinemann Educational Books, Jos,25-53.
Shaw, T. (1963). Field Research in Nigerian Archaeology: A Brief Survey and Discussion of Policy.Journal of Historical Society of Nigeria, 2(4), 449-464.
Shaw, T. (1978). Nigeria: Its Archeology and Early History (Thames and Hudson Inc., New York, 1978).
Sharon, G., & Barsky, R. D. (2015). The Emergence of the Acheulian in Europe – A Look from the East. Quaternary International, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.11.108
Soper, C. R. (1965). The Stone Age in Northern Nigeria.Journal of Historical Society of Nigeria, 3(2), 175-194.
Soper, C. Robert, Interview with Robert Soper on “The Acheulean on the Jos-Plateau,” via https://www.academia.edu/Messages, 2nd and 5th August 2020.
Torre, I. (2016). The Origins of the Acheulean: Past and Present Perspectives on a Major Transition in Human Evolution. Philosophical Transactions, 1-34.https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0245
Welch, A. C. (1963). Biological Science: Molecules to Man (Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1963).
Wesler, W. K. (2002). Historical Archeology in West Africa. Studies in the History of Central Nigeria Area, 1, 1-39, (Church Society and Suppliers, Lagos, 2002).
Figure FA4 is half-broken spherically shaped sandstone that might have been used for grinding foodstuff or for sharpening wood and other stone tools. It might have been used also for mashing up leaves or seeds into power or smaller forms. It is likely that the rounded and smoothly edged anterior was used inside a stone bowl (mortar) as a pestle while the flat posterior used for grinding on another smooth flat surface.
Published
2021-05-19
Issue
Vol 1 No 1 (2021)
Section
Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).