Lithic Raw Material Usages during the Middle Stone Age at Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt

Abstract

Dakhleh Oasis, the largest of the Egyptian Western Desert, presents an opportunity for diachronic study of lithic raw material preferences during the Middle Stone Age (MSA) of the Eastern Sahara. Archaeological aggregates and raw material sources are exposed and easily mapped. Diverse and abundant lithic raw materials derive from sandstone, shale, and limestone sources and are also found in secondary geological contexts. Three main raw materials were used, and there was strong preference for one of these: Tarawan chert. Easily available only in the north-central oasis, this material was transported substantial distances even when other materials that were known and used by MSA peoples could be found closer at hand. There is little evidence for use of raw materials exogenous to Dakhleh Oasis. This pattern of usage does not appear to change from the older MSA units to the Aterian Dakhleh Unit. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.