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Hyrax Hill
Map showing the location of Hyrax Hill
Map showing the location of Hyrax Hill
Hyrax Hill Archaeological Site
Coordinates0°16′56″S 36°6′14″E / 0.28222°S 36.10389°E / -0.28222; 36.10389

Hyrax Hill is a prehistoric site near Nakuru in the Rift Valley province of Kenya. It is a rocky spur roughly half a kilometer in length and measuring 1,900 meters above sea level at its summit.[1] the site was first discovered in 1926 by Louis Leakey during excavations at the nearby Nakuru Burial Site, and Mary Leakey conducted the first major excavations between 1937 and 1938.[2] There are two distinct areas of occupation at Hyrax Hill, one which was occupied during the Neolithic and late Iron Age, and one which was occupied by the Sirikwa earlier in the Iron Age.

Hyrax Hill is named after the hyrax, a small mammal which lives in rocky areas. Hyraxes were once common in the rocky crevasses of Hyrax Hill, but their numbers have dropped in recent years due to the rapid urbanization of the surrounding area.[3]

It is the location of Hyrax Hill Prehistoric Site and Museum.

History of Excavation

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Louis Leakey discovered the remains of prehistoric settlements at Hyrax Hill while excavating the nearby Nakuru Burial in 1926. He did not excavate it at the time because he believed it to be a recent occupation. Louis Leakey returned to the area in 1937 with his wife, Mary Leakey. It was Mary Leaky who began major investigations at Hyrax Hill, and she excavated and named both Site I and Site II between 1937 and 1938. Dating the sites was difficult at the time, and Leakey mistakenly described the Iron Age "Sirikwa Holes" as a Pre-Iron Age village with pit-dwellings.[1] Excavations at the site were not undertaken again until after the Hyrax Hill was obtained by the National Museums of Kenya in 1965.[1]

Archaeological Sites

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Site I

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"Site I" is the area of Hyrax Hill that was occupied during the Neolithic and late Iron Age. The cultures from both periods were pastoralists that herded cattle, sheep, and goats.[4] The Iron age portion of the site dates to around 200 years ago, and consists of several stone enclosures and a large midden. Directly under this layer was an earlier Neolithic cemetery which was used roughly 5000 years ago.[5] The Neolithic cemetery consisted of several low burial mounds formed out of large blocks of stone. Many of the individuals buried at the site were dismembered.[6]

The occupants of this period of the site manufactured distinctive ground stone bowls, and many were found associated with female burials in the Neolithic cemetery at Hyrax Hill and other sites in the area.[7] The bowls from Hyrax Hill are round or oblong, particularly shallow, and made from an easily accessed local variety of stone.[8] Because these bowls were so distinctive at many sites around the East Africa, archaeologists created the term "Stone Bowl Culture" as a general category for all early prehistoric sites in the region. The term is not widely used today, and the sites are now more often referred to as belonging to the "Pastoral Neolithic."[9]

The ceramic type known as "Nderit ware" is found at Site I. These are rounded vessels with a highly textured surface of wedge-shaped impressions, which are commonly found at Neolithic sites in East Africa. They resemble baskets.[10]

Site II

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"Site II" lies on the north-western side of Hyrax hill, opposite from Site I. It was occupied earlier in the Iron Age than Site I. Radiocarbon dates have found that Site II was occupied between the twelfth and fifth centuries AD.[11] Site II was occupied by the Sirikwa, later cattle pastoralists from the Great Lakes region of East Africa who relied heavily on milk from cows.[12] The main feature of this site is a series of 13 sandy bowl-shaped depressions and mounds. These depressions, called Sirikwa Holes, were deliberately constructed as pens for securing cattle, and the low mounds that are adjacent to these hollows were created from heaping dung and refuse outside the pen.[13]

The pottery found at Site II is "Lanet ware" dated to the Iron Age. It consists of tall beakers with simple rims, rounded bottoms, and decoration made from cord impressions. These occasionally have small spouts and rounded handles. The pottery has a distinctive "sand paper" finish, and some vessels have been found with red slips.[14]

Gumban Nomenclature

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The pottery found at Hyrax Hill was originally were originally named "Gumban A" and "Gumban C" by Louis and Mary Leakey when they were first discovered at Hyrax Hill and the Nakuru Burial Site. These terms fell out of use once more sites were excavated in the area. [15][16]

Obsidian Types

Bow Board

See Also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Sutton, John (1998). "Hyrax Hill and the Later Archaeology of the Central Rift Valley of Kenya". Azania. 33: 74. Cite error: The named reference "sutton 1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ Leaky, Mary (1943). ""Report on the excavations at Hyrax Hill, Nakuru, Kenya Colony, 1937–1938". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 30 (4): 274.
  3. ^ Sutton, John (1998). "Hyrax Hill and the Later Archaeology of the Central Rift Valley of Kenya". Azania. 33: 74.
  4. ^ Sutton, John (1998). "Hyrax Hill and the Later Archaeology of the Central Rift Valley of Kenya". Azania. 33: 77–84.
  5. ^ Sutton, John (1998). "Hyrax Hill and the Later Archaeology of the Central Rift Valley of Kenya". Azania. 33: 86–98.
  6. ^ Leaky, Mary (1943). ""Report on the excavations at Hyrax Hill, Nakuru, Kenya Colony, 1937–1938". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 30 (4): 314–316.
  7. ^ Bower, John (March 1991). "The Pastoral Neolithic of Eastern Africa". Journal of World Prehistory. 5 (1): 51. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ^ Leaky, Mary (1943). ""Report on the excavations at Hyrax Hill, Nakuru, Kenya Colony, 1937–1938". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 30 (4): 326–332.
  9. ^ Bower, John (March 1991). "The Pastoral Neolithic of Eastern Africa". Journal of World Prehistory. 5 (1): 51–55. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  10. ^ Sutton, John (1964). "A Review of Pottery from the Kenya Highlands". The South African Archaeological Bulletin. 19 (74): 27–35. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  11. ^ Kyule, David (1997). "The Sirikwa Economy". Azania. 32 (1): 21.
  12. ^ Sutton, John (1998). "Hyrax Hill and the Later Archaeology of the Central Rift Valley of Kenya". Azania. 33: 80–81.
  13. ^ Kyule, David (1997). "The Sirikwa Economy". Azania. 32 (1): 21.
  14. ^ Leaky, Mary (1943). ""Report on the excavations at Hyrax Hill, Nakuru, Kenya Colony, 1937–1938". Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 30 (4): 304–306.
  15. ^ Sutton, John (1964). "A Review of Pottery from the Kenya Highlands". The South African Archaeological Bulletin. 19 (74): 27–35. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  16. ^ Robertshaw, Peter; Collett, David (1983). "A New Framework for the Study of Early Pastoral Communities in East Africa". The Journal of African History. 24 (3): 299. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
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