Ugwuele-Uturu: A Lithic Exploitation Site in South-East Nigeria

The site of Ugwuele-Uturu was discovered in 1977 and excavated on two occasions between then and 1981. A number of general accounts were produced by the excavators, but to a large extent the site remains unpublished. No detailed account of the excavations or of the excavated material is widely avail...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of African archaeology 2015-01, Vol.13 (2), p.215-232
Main Author: Allsworth-Jones, Philip
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African history
Archaeology
Historic artifacts
Lithic
Nigeria
Raw materials
Studies
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Summary:The site of Ugwuele-Uturu was discovered in 1977 and excavated on two occasions between then and 1981. A number of general accounts were produced by the excavators, but to a large extent the site remains unpublished. No detailed account of the excavations or of the excavated material is widely available. In the meantime, controversy as to what the site represents continues, in the light of F.N. Anozie’s claim that it is Acheulean. This paper provides a record of the author’s visits to the site in 1978 and 1981, when he was a staff member of the University of Ibadan, and also presents some results from his study of the artefacts kept at the Department of Archaeology at the University of Nigeria Nsukka in 1980. In his view, on the basis of the available evidence, the site represents an axe factory of likely Holocene date. It is hoped that this record, apart from its historical documentary value, will stimulate new work on the site and the material from it, so that its nature can be established beyond doubt.
ISSN:1612-1651
2191-5784
1612-1651
DOI:10.3213/2191-5784-10274