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. 2023 Mar 14;18(3):e0269209.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269209. eCollection 2023.

The archaeological potential of the northern Luangwa Valley, Zambia: The Luwumbu basin

A Burke  1 , M Bisson  2 , F Schilt  3 , S Tolan  4 , J Museba  5 , M S M Drapeau  1 , J C Aleman  6 , M C Peros  7
Affiliations

The archaeological potential of the northern Luangwa Valley, Zambia: The Luwumbu basin

A Burke et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

The Luangwa Basin, Zambia, which forms part of the Zambezi drainage, is strategically located between the Central African plateau and the East African Rift system. The Luangwa River and major tributaries, such as the Luwumbu River, are perennial water sources supporting essential resources that sustain human communities and a rich and diverse fauna and flora. The archaeological record of Luangwa is relatively unknown, despite early archaeological exploration hinting at its potential. Recent research in the southern Luangwa valley, however, suggests that it preserves a long record of hominin occupation spanning the Early to Late Stone Age. The research described here details fieldwork carried out in northeastern Luangwa, in the Luwumbu Basin, that confirms that a relatively deep package of Quaternary deposits, containing evidence of the Stone Age occupation of the region persists in the upper piedmont zone.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. The Luangwa Valley, Zambia.
The fieldwork location in the piedmont zone of northeastern Luangwa is highlighted in red. SRTM digital elevation map reprinted from USGS Earth Resources Observatory and Science (EROS) Center (public domain): http://eros.usgs.gov/#.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Geography of the Luangwa Basin.
Clockwise from top left: a) rainfall patterns; b) landcover; c) rainfall erosivity. Mean rainfall data reprinted under CC-BY 4.0 license with permission from WorldClim.org. Land cover data reprinted under a Public Domain license from the RCMRD Geoportal, Zambia Sentinel 2 Land Use Land Cover 2016 (http://geoportal.rcmrd.org/). Rainfall erosivity data reprinted under CC-BY 4.0 license with permission from ESDAC (https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu).
Fig 3
Fig 3. Geography of the study region: The piedmont zone.
Annual precipitation (a) and surface runoff (b) for sub-basins. The Luwumbu catchment is highlighted in light blue. Mean precipitation, surface runoff and soil erosion reprinted under CC-BY 4.0 license from Hydroatlas Zambia v.1 https://data.hydrosheds.org/file/technical-documentation/HydroATLAS_TechDoc_v10_1.pdf.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Survey zones.
Drysdale & Kitching (1963) survey zones courtesy of Neil Tabor (Pink: Triassic, Blue: Upper Permian). Cross-hatched: Phase 1 Survey zones (this project). SRTM digital elevation map reprinted from USGS EROS (Earth Resources Observatory and Science (EROS) Center) (public domain): http://eros.usgs.gov/#.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Phase 1 exploratory survey locations.
The nature of finds at each location is colour coded (see legend). Geological map (right): Upper Grit Formation (T), Ntawere Formation (S3, S2), Madubisa Mudstone formations (R3, R2). Geologic map 1033SW & SE Muyombe & Luwumbu (1:100k) reprinted under a CC BY license with permission from the Czech Geological Service, original copyright 2004.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Phase 2 stratified archaeological survey localities (2016, 2019).
SRTM digital elevation map reprinted from USGS EROS (Earth Resources Observatory and Science (EROS) Center) (public domain): http://eros.usgs.gov/#.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Sediment column at SW23.
Exposure between SW23A and B showing location of samples collected for sedimentological and environmental analyses.
Fig 8
Fig 8. Exploratory statistics: Phase 1 localities.
The presence/absence of lithic artefacts as a function of elevation, slope and erositivity by geological unit.
Fig 9
Fig 9. Sheet-wash action.
Pedicles under large clasts and artefacts formed as the fine fraction is removed by sheet-wash (here in the vicinity of SW60).
Fig 10
Fig 10. Artefacts from Sitwe localities.
a, Radial core (SW23A #25); b, Denticulated side-struck flake (SW23B #333); c, Levallois flake (SW23B #92); d, Levallois cleaver flake (SW23A #135); e, Handaxe (SW23A #181); f, Pick; g, Unifacial handaxe on a split cobble spall (SW60 #43); h, Elongated split cobble (SW23A#130); i, Core-axe (SW23A #127). Scale in cm. Artefacts are conserved at the Livingstone Museum, Plot 567, Mosi-o-tunya Road, Livingstone, Zambia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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