A typological analysis of the late pastoral neolithic assemblages from Ndabibi and Marula estate, central Rift Valley, Kenya

Abstract

This study presents a comparative typological analysis of late Pastoral Neolithic un standardised assemblages of stone tools from the Central Rift Valley. It is based on assemblages from the Ndabibi Site and Marula Farm Site that are stored in the Division of Archaeology of the National Museums of Kenya. The analysis is confined to the typology of flaked stone artefacts which were studied with a view to determine the tool frequency distributions in these assemblages and compare them with the standardised tool assemblages from the region. The analysis also shows how the assemblages differ from the formal tool industries in the region, and hypotheses explaining the disparity are suggested. The following conclusions are advanced: that raw material accessibility, lise of localities as depot sites or introduction of iron implements from the highlands has influenced the technology of flaked stone

J ,~ production and the tool types in the assemblages;