Sangoan
Sign in to saveThe Sangoan is a prehistoric lithic industry of sub-Saharan Africa, broadly dated to the later part of the Early Stone Age (ESA) and the transition to the Middle Stone Age (MSA), approximately between 500,000 and 300,000 years ago. First identified in the 1920s at Sango Bay in Uganda, the industry is characterized by heavy-duty core tools such as picks, core axes, choppers, and scrapers, often produced on large cobbles or blocks of coarse-grained stone. These minimally shaped tools were likely used for woodworking, digging, or other subsistence tasks.
Key facts
- Archaeological culture.name
- Sangoan
- Archaeological culture.region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Archaeological culture.period
- Late Early Stone Age to early Middle Stone Age
- Archaeological culture.dates
- c. 500,000 – 300,000 years BP
- Archaeological culture.typesite
- Sango Bay, Uganda
- Archaeological culture.majorsites
- Kalambo Falls, Sai 8-B-11, Arkin 8, Herto, Simbi
- Archaeological culture.extra
- Associated with grubbing and woodworking
- Archaeological culture.precededby
- Acheulean
- Archaeological culture.followedby
- Lupemban culture
- Archaeological culture.definedby
- Desmond Clark and others, 1920s
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
7 sectionsContents
- Definition
- Dating and chronology
- Geographic distribution
- Environmental context and ecological adaptation
- Sangoan industry and tool technology
- Debates and unresolved questions
- Note
The Sangoan is a prehistoric lithic industry of sub-Saharan Africa, broadly dated to the later part of the Early Stone Age (ESA) and the transition to the Middle Stone Age (MSA), approximately between 500,000 and 300,000 years ago. First identified in the 1920s at Sango Bay in Uganda, the industry is characterized by heavy-duty core tools such as picks, core axes, choppers, and scrapers, often produced on large cobbles or blocks of coarse-grained stone. These minimally shaped tools were likely used for woodworking, digging, or other subsistence tasks.
Archaeological sites associated with the Sangoan have been found across a broad ecological and geographical range, including rainforest, woodland, and savanna environments. This distribution extends from Central and East Africa to parts of southern and possibly northern Africa, with debated evidence even reaching the Mediterranean. The Sangoan is noted for its technological variability, its lack of consistent diagnostic tool types, and the apparent absence of systematic Levallois or blade-based reduction methods.