Abstract
Despite the outstanding contribution of Lake Eyasi Basin to human origins and cultural development from the middle stone age (MSA) to the historic period, other archaeological occurrences in the area with outstanding cultural values such as burial cairns, stone enclosures, megalithic walls, and dolmens have remained less emphatic among scholars. Although these are widespread across the cultural landscape of the region, yet they have attracted little scientific attention. These stone monuments were first reported in the 1960s and 1970s, and precisely correlated to the agricultural terraces of Engaruka, the astonishing late iron age agricultural scheme of northern Tanzania. This study intended to identify new monumental sites, establish the chronological framework of human adaptation in the Lake Eyasi Basin, and provide scholarly information that can be fully understood at different levels: local people, policymakers, and scientific communities. Results from an archaeological survey at Olbili, Olpiro, and Oldogom villages in the northern edge of the Lake Eyasi Basin shows a sustained occupation of these sites from the Neolithic to iron age (IA) periods. Nevertheless, detailed archaeological, architectural, radiometric dating, and paleoecological investigations are encouraged for coherent declarations.
Recommended Citation
S. Mwitondi, Musa; Bushozi, Pastory; and S. Mjandwa, Albert
(2021)
"Stone Monuments of Northern Lake Eyasi Basin at Olpiro, Oldogom and Olbili Sites in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania: Revisited Perspectives,"
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences: Vol. 10
:
No.
4
, Article 3.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.56279/jhss.v10.i4.7
Publication Date
11-23-2021
DOI
10.56279/jhss.v10.i4.7
Publisher
Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE)
Included in
African History Commons, Cultural History Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Metal and Jewelry Arts Commons