Neolithic Assemblages Research Articles

Odontometric sex estimation in humans using measurements on permanent canines. A comparison of an early Neolithic and an early medieval assemblage from Germany.

This study analyzed whether cervical canine dimensions measured at the enamel-cement junction can provide a basis for sex estimation in human skeletal remains and whether discriminant functions developed for one assemblage can be successfully applied also to others. Cervical canine dimensions were recorded for an Early Neolithic (Linear Pottery Culture) and an early medieval skeletal assemblage from Germany. Only individuals in whom sex estimation based on standard diagnostic criteria could be performed with a high degree of certainty were included. Sexual dimorphism in cervical canine dimensions was higher in the early medieval assemblage. Values in females of the Early Neolithic assemblage exceeded those of the early medieval assemblage, while there were no significant differences in males. Discriminant analysis led to a maximum correct classification of sex (cross validation results) of 94.0% in the early medieval and of 79.2% in the Early Neolithic assemblage. Applying the discriminant functions developed on one assemblage to the other led to poor classification results. Cervical canine dimensions are highly correlated with sexually dimorphic skeletal traits and may provide a good basis for sexing archaeological individuals. It is suggested that due to population differences in canine dimensions, either assemblage specific discriminant functions should be developed or the applicability of existing formulae obtained on other assemblages to the assemblage under study should be carefully checked.

The role of quartz in Neolithic lithic traditions: a case study from the Thornhill Early Neolithic palisaded enclosure, Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland

The role of quartz in Neolithic lithic traditions: a case study from the Thornhill Early Neolithic palisaded enclosure, Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Neolithic of Cyrenaica (north-east Libya): New enlightenments from recent research

The research lead by the French Archaeological Mission in Libya and the Cyrenaican Prehistory Project (CPP) in the beginning of the 21st century, added to those realized by McBurney in the middle of the 20th century, gathered important information on the Neolithic and the Neolithisation of Cyrenaica, the region of northeast Libya. Despite numerous unknown which will have to be resolved by future investigations, it already appears that pottery production and animal domestication of ovicaprines started very early in that area. These data were obtained for the first time at the site of Haua Fteah, a huge cave excavated in the 1950s and nearly fifty years later by the University of Cambridge. The discoveries made on the new site of Abu Tamsa confirm that the Neolithic began in north Cyrenaica as early as the beginning of the 8th millennium cal BP. The elements we possess indicate that this Libyan region had many traits in common with the eastern regions from where people obtained domesticated animals and shared technological lithic practices. Nonetheless, although the influence of Egypt is present, the local character of the industries dominates. The study of the Neolithic assemblage of Abu Tamsa indicates that there are no visible contacts with the Maghreb Capsian in the west, a hypothesis first supported by McBurney for Haua Fteah's Holocene industries.

Conociendo la función del utillaje lítico tallado: Veinticinco años de análisis traceológicos aplicados a contextos neolíticos del noreste de la Península Ibérica [Getting to know the function of the flaked stone tools: Twenty-five years of use-wear...

Getting to know the function of the flaked stone tools: Twenty-five years of use-wear analysis on the Neolithic assemblages of the NE of the Iberian Peninsula This paper deals with the functionality of the flaked stone assemblages from several Neolithic sites of the NE of the Iberian Peninsula. The chronological framework ranges from the mid-6 th to the mid-4 th millennium cal. BCE, which corresponds to the Early and Middle Neolithic. This long period ranges from the arrival of the first farming communities in the Iberian Peninsula, around 5600-5500 cal. BCE, to 3600-3500 cal. BCE, two millennia later, when Neolithic communities had stably occupied most of the available territory, from the mountainous areas of the Pyrenees to the coastal areas of the Mediterranean. In this context, the NE of the Iberian Peninsula is one of the areas where a major number of use-wear analyses have been carried out, especially for what concerns the Neolithic period. This is mainly due to the interest shown by the directors of the excavations and by the Spanish use-wear specialists as well; both participated and cooperated in order to enlarge the number of contexts studied, making the NE of the Iberian Peninsula one of the areas of Europe with the largest number of ‘functional studies’. As a result, today we have a reliable picture of the type of lithic tools used by the first farming groups, how they were used, and which needs they were satisfying. The methodology employed for this type of analysis is today broadly shared by most use-wear specialists. A stereoscopic microscope is used together with a reflected-light microscope for the analysis of the archaeological specimens. Afterwards, the observed use-wear traces are compared with the traces from experimental tools. This study primarily made use of the tools preserved at the ‘Traceoteque’ of the Institucion Mila y Fontanals of the CSIC of Barcelona. This paper presents the results obtained for the different types of analysed sites and the relative lithic assemblages. In this way, tools from different contexts are compared: open-air sites, caves and rock-shelters, pit-sites, burials, and mining sites. Such a diversity of contexts allowed for the exploration of the existence of recurrences and differences in the functionality of the lithic tools from one site to another. The results obtained have also provided information on some aspects related to the economic processes carried out at the different sites, caves, rock-shelters and open-air contexts. It has been possible to gain fresh data on the types of tasks carried out and their relative importance for each site, their relation with the geographical and environmental context and the natural resources available there. In addition, analysing tools recovered from burials – mainly individual inhumations – provided information on the relationships between the buried individuals and the working tools, in particular exploring the relationships between sex and age patterns and the types of tools deposited as goods. In conclusion, use-wear analysis allowed for the exploration of a variety of issues; from technical aspects related to the production and management of the lithic resources to social aspects related to the subsistence activities and the individuals that carried them out.

Spatulas and abraded astragalus: Two types of tools used to process ceramics? Examples from the Romanian prehistory

Abstract In most of the Neolithic and Chalcolitic assemblages, north of the Danube, constantly appear two types of artifacts: spatulas made on longitudinal bipartitioned rib and abraded astragalus. Some specialists considered them tools used in different stages during the chaine operatoire of ceramics production. Starting from this functional hypothesis, we developed an experimental program in order to establish its reality. Thus, the first task included the processing of tools, using both the types of raw materials (rib of Bos taurus and astragalus of Ovis aries/Capra hircus ), and the technical transformation sequences identified in the case of archaeological artifacts. After the tools were processed, the spatulas were used in the action of modeling the ceramics' form, in order to eliminate the excess of raw material and to homogenize the surface. The astragalus, abraded prior to their utilization, were used for ceramic finishing, in order to mechanically polish the surface. In a third stage, the wear traces, developed on experimental samples, were compared with those present on archaeological pieces, illustrating a high degree of similarity. Our experimental program demonstrated the importance of experimental archaeology in the reconstruction the collective savoir-faire of Prehistoric communities.

THE SHIFT IN BLADELET PRODUCTION TRAJECTORY FROM LATE PALEOLITHIC TO NEOLITHIC: THE CASE STUDY OF IZEH, KHUZESTAN, IRAN

Chipped stone manufacturing organization is one of the most significant aspects of research on the lithic assemblages. This is a reductive process of manufacture through which raw material is reduced and transported through multiple stations. These stations can be traced based on the residues left at each of them. Such investigations are significant to explaining inter-assemblage variation through what is called the “reduction sequence.” In this article, the author presents research on Late Paleolithic and Neolithic chipped stone assemblages from the Izeh Plain, southwest of Iran, regarding the nature of reduction sequences. This was an investigation of the determining factors in terms of lithic artifact manufacturing organization, including raw material availability, settlement patterns, and production trajectory of the lithic assemblages of sites in the region. While there is no difference observed in the junctures of bladelet production trajectory through the Late Paleolithic, a distinction of junctures is evident in bladelet manufacturing workshops in the Neolithic period.

Radiometric dates and micromorphological evidence for synchronous domestic activity and sheep penning in a Neolithic cave: Cueva de El Toro (Málaga, Antequera, Spain)

We present radiocarbon dates and preliminary micromorphological information from the Neolithic cave site of Cueva del Toro (Antequera, Malaga, Spain). This site has yielded a rich early and late Neolithic archaeological record. The late Neolithic assemblage reflects specialized handcraft activity including in situ ceramic manufacture, textile production, and food processing along with sheep and goat penning, suggesting that the cave occupants and their domestic animals shared the same living space. Until now, dating of the stratigraphic sequence was incomplete, and the function of the combustion activities carried out at the cave remained unclear. New absolute dates from the main late Neolithic domestic activity area, corresponding to the most intense Neolithic occupation of the cave, allow us to place the entire sequence between 5320 and 5170 BP (or 4250–3950 to 2σ Cal BC). Micromorphological results show that many combustion features from this site represent recurrently burnt episodes on sheep/goat stabling deposits all along the sequence, corroborating human-goat/sheep cohabitation. This practice had not been previously documented in southern Spain for such early dates. Our results exemplify the importance of characterizing archaeological deposits at a microstratigraphic scale of observation.

The Southern tip of the Northern Levant ? The Early Pottery Neolithic assemblage of Tel Ro’im West, Israel

Le Levant Sud présente une séquence bien établie pour le Néolithique céramique, constituée de trois entités culturelles successives : le Yarmoukien, le Lodien et la culture de Wadi Rabah. Le Yarmoukien est absent toutefois, au nord-est dans la vallée de la Houla. L’analyse de l’assemblage céramique à Tel Ro’im West, à la limite nord-occidentale de la vallée, laisse supposer la présence d’une entité culturelle différente au début de cette période. Cet assemblage du Néolithique céramique est décrit sous les angles typologique et chronologique. La contribution de ces données à la connaissance du début de cette période est examinée. Il s’avère que cet assemblage ne possède aucun trait distinctif d’une culture bien connue du Néolithique céramique du Levant Sud, tandis que d’autres matériaux suggèrent une certaine similitude avec les traditions du Levant Nord.

Beyond the Levant: First Evidence of a Pre-Pottery Neolithic Incursion into the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia

Pre-Pottery Neolithic assemblages are best known from the fertile areas of the Mediterranean Levant. The archaeological site of Jebel Qattar 101 (JQ-101), at Jubbah in the southern part of the Nefud Desert of northern Saudi Arabia, contains a large collection of stone tools, adjacent to an Early Holocene palaeolake. The stone tool assemblage contains lithic types, including El-Khiam and Helwan projectile points, which are similar to those recorded in Pre-Pottery Neolithic A and Pre-Pottery Neolithic B assemblages in the Fertile Crescent. Jebel Qattar lies ∼500 kilometres outside the previously identified geographic range of Pre-Pottery Neolithic cultures. Technological analysis of the typologically diagnostic Jebel Qattar 101 projectile points indicates a unique strategy to manufacture the final forms, thereby raising the possibility of either direct migration of Levantine groups or the acculturation of mobile communities in Arabia. The discovery of the Early Holocene site of Jebel Qattar suggests that our view of the geographic distribution and character of Pre-Pottery Neolithic cultures may be in need of revision.

The Importance of Chert in Central Anatolia: Lessons from the Neolithic Assemblage at Çatalhöyük, Turkey

This paper is a presentation of three sources of artifact‐quality chert inCentralAnatolia. A previous dearth of research focused on locating and characterizing such raw material sources has incorrectly colored our view of prehistoric economic practices. To remedy this situation, we have conducted a survey of various locales withinCentralAnatolia to test for the presence of artifact‐quality materials. We make use ofIndividualAttributeAnalysis (IAA) andEnergyDispersiveX‐rayFluorescence (EDXRF) analysis to discriminate among these materials, and suggest their use by theNeolithic occupants ofÇatalhöyük through similar analyses of artifactual materials. We argue that the presence and characterization of these new sources allows us to better understand the intricacies ofNeolithic practices by illustrating the ways in which the consumption of these materials was variably entwined with the exploitation of other resources, as well as embedded within social relations outside ofCentralAnatolia. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Khamseen rock shelter and the Late Palaeolithic‐Neolithic transition in Dhofar

This paper presents the archaeological site of Khamseen rock shelter, its stratigraphic succession, numeric ages and Early–Middle Holocene lithic assemblages. The site was discovered and excavated during the 2010 fieldwork campaign of the Dhofar Archaeological Project (DAP) in southern Oman. It is situated at the southern edge of the Nejd Plateau, strategically positioned adjacent to a major orographic barrier at the interface of the plateau and escarpment. Excavations revealed a succession of five archaeological horizons, each bearing technologically distinct lithic assemblages. The lowest level (GH.5) is attributed to the Khashabian industry, representing the final phase of the South Arabian Late Palaeolithic. Above that, in GH.4, a Neolithic assemblage was found with bifacial tool forms typical of the Middle Holocene. In light of the evidence found at Khamseen rock shelter and other coeval archaeological sites across southern Arabia, the Late Palaeolithic‐Neolithic transition is considered.

The Late Aceramic Neolithic Flaked Stone Assemblage from Tepe Rahmatabad, Fars, South-West Iran

Recent excavations at Tepe Rahmatabad (Fars Province, south-west Iran) yielded an aceramic Neolithic lithic assemblage from contexts dating from the later half of the eighth to the early seventh millennium BC. The techno-typological analysis presented here assigns it to one of the south-easternmost examples of the early M'lefaatian industry. This discovery demonstrates that Fars was a part of the large cultural sphere known as the ‘East Wing of the Fertile Crescent’ during the earlier Neolithic period. At the same time, the data from Rahmatabad, along with data previously obtained from other late (Tall-i Mushki) and post-M'lefaatian (Tall-i Jari B) sites, help to elaborate the reconstruction of the Neolithic sequence from the early, late and post-M'lefaatian in the Fars. This sequence, which is contextualised by secure radiocarbon dates, provides a basis for evaluating comparable sequences in other parts of the Zagros region.

Modifications anthropiques sur des restes humains mésolithiques et néolithiques de la grotte d’Unikoté (Iholdy, Pyrénées-Atlantiques)

The site of Unikoté, located in Iholdy in the French Pyrénées-Atlantiques, was discovered in 1984 and excavated between 1993 and 2003. The excavations were first carried out inside the cave (Unikoté I), then extended from 1995 on in front of the entrance (Unikoté II). Both loci soon yielded traces of human occupation as well as human remains. Unikoté I has a 3-metre thick very complex stratigraphy. The artefacts found have allowed the occupation to be dated to the Middle Palaeolithic, without any greater precision. The fill of Unikoté I can be divided into three units : at the base is a hyena den with a few traces of human occupation ; the intermediate level has yielded most of the human remains and the upper level is a mix of both underlying levels. The artefacts from the lower level can be attributed to the Mousterian period ; those coming from the intermediate level could date from either the Upper Palaeolithic or the Mesolithic, any precise attribution to one period or the other being impossible. Both loci have also yielded a small assemblage of human remains. In both cases the remains are extremely disturbed, which makes it impossible to reconstitute the original mode of deposit. They also lack any cultural context, so that their dating can only come from radiocarbon analyses. The Unikoté I remains date from the beginning of the Middle Neolithic II. The Unikoté II remains belong to an early phase of the Second Mesolithic. The human assemblage from the first locus is composed of 15 fragments corresponding to a minimum number of 2 individuals, a female adult and a child aged about 10. Eighty-five remains come from the second locus, among which eleven certainly belong to the same adult whose sex and age cannot be determined. The 74 remaining immature bones most probably belong to two individuals : while the corresponding frequency MNI is only 1, their stages of development are incompatible. A cranium could thus belong to a 15-year old juvenile whereas the other post-cranial remains probably belong to a child aged between 6 and 11. The main interest of these human remains lies in the fact that they all display anthropogenic bone modifications. In the Unikoté I Neolithic assemblage the cranium shows several cutmarks that could attest to skinning practices, and a cutmark is also visible on a fragment of scapula. The Mesolithic immature cranium from Unikoté II presents a perforation with characteristics unequivocally suggesting a perimortem trauma indicating a violent death. Moreover, several cutting and scraping marks can be observed on this fragment. The small size of the assemblages and their lack of context make the interpretation of these marks and the signification of these human deposits difficult to establish ; while several hypotheses can be raised, none can be favoured. For Unikoté I, the specificities of the cutmarks suggest head-skinning and thus allow several possibilities to be raised : cannibalism, which cannot be proved but cannot be set aside either ; a funerary practice in which the body could have been cut up but not eaten ; or some specific treatment of the head, for instance its preparation to become a trophy or a relic. In Unikoté II the marks on the cranium seem to correspond more to defleshing activity, i. e. a cleaning of the bone, and the trauma matches an overall context of armed violence. It is however impossible to determine either the environment or the mobilization level of this violence, all the more so as all attested perimortem cranial traumata for the Mesolithic period are so far linked to the specific practice of head deposit known in Alsace and Southwestern Germany, which does not seem to be the case here, and as the practice of cutting up corpses is far from being rare for this period, although certainly diversely motivated. The observations made on the human remains from Unikoté are difficult and limited, but they can nevertheless provide new information on the treatment of the dead and related body-cutting practices during the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. Data are still lacking, so this topic cannot be discussed in detail now, until attested cases become more numerous. On the other hand, these observations prove once again that anthropogenic bone modifications are frequently observed and must be systematically sought in all human assemblages, whatever the period.

Technological and Typological Study of the Upper Capsian Bone Assemblage from SHM-1, Tunisia

Presented here is a study of the bone industry from the Capsian site of SHM-1 in eastern Tunisia, dating from the 7th and 6th millennia BC. In spite of the very fragmentary condition of the 111 specimens analysed, the technological approach adopted — used for the first time in the Maghreb — shows recurrences within the chaines opératoires used in tool production, choice of raw materials, cutting and fashioning techniques, and the morphologies sought. The assemblage mainly consists of pointed tools obtained by grooving ruminant metapodials in two or four pieces, as well as other types peculiar to the North African context. The traits and patterns apparent in the SHM-1 assemblage are also found in other Capsian and Neolithic assemblages, thereby allowing us to make a first characterisation of certain technical and cultural components common to the Capsian tradition.

Brief communication: The use of alternative dental measurements on deciduous teeth

The present study investigates the utility of cervical measurements in deciduous teeth and how they correlate with traditional measurements of the crown. First, this study establishes definitions by which these measurements could reliably be taken. Next, deciduous cervical and traditional crown diameters were taken on three distinct skeletal samples: a Neolithic assemblage from Central Anatolia (Çatalhöyük, n = 85), a precontact sample from Northern California (CA-ALA-329, n = 34), and a group of intrusive burials interred at Çatalhöyük that date between AD 60 and 1650 (n = 38). Across the dentition there are positive correlations between crown and cervical measurements, which tend to be higher in anterior teeth than in posterior teeth. Both measurements show low correlations with age; however, cervical measurements show fewer negative correlations with age. An intraobserver error study found low levels of error for both types of measurements. On a subset of the Çatalhöyük sample (n = 9), a principal components and biological distance analysis were conducted comparing the two types of measurements. Also, all three samples were subject to a canonical discriminant function analysis and the results from cervical and crown measurements were compared. All analyses produced slightly different results for each type of data suggesting that crown and cervical measurements capture different aspects of tooth shape. While cervical and crown measurements provide different statistical results, cervical measurements can provide information relevant to anthropological studies and may allow for larger datasets to be used by allowing the inclusion of teeth with modified crowns.

Towards a comprehensive model of the Neolithisation process in the Western Mediterranean. Reply to: Aziz Ballouche, Brahim Ouchaou & Abdelaziz El Idrissi: More on Neolithisation process within the Alboran territory…

The article “Neolithisation process within the Alboran territory:Models and possible African impact” (Linstadter et al., 2012) is onecontribution from a special issue of “Quaternary International”dedicated to Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 806 “Our way toEurope”, a German research project financed by the “DeutscheForschungsgemeinschaft” (DFG). The CRC, implemented by theUniversities of Aachen, Bonn and Cologne, was established in 2009and conceived for a run time of 12 years. The aim of the specialissue of “Quaternary International” was to summarise the state oftheartofresearchinthevariousworkingareascoveredbyCRC806.These include Northern Africa, the Near East and Europe. Withinthe frame of this undertaking, the article by Linstadter et al. (2012)focuses on southern Andalusia, Murcia and eastern Morocco, theworkingareaof the West Mediterranean branch of CRC 806. On thesouthern Iberian Peninsulaa PhD projectis currentlyconcentratingon Epipalaeolithic and Early Neolithic assemblages kept atmuseums in Malaga, Almeria, Granada and Murcia. Additionally,furtherfieldworkisalsobeingundertakenintheareaoftheeasternRif and the Moulouya valley.Duetothenatureofthespecialissue,withitsregionalandtopicallimitations, the sites of the Tangier Peninsula could not be incor-poratedingreatdetail.Nevertheless,theroleofthesitesatKafThatel-Ghar and Kaf Boussaria in the Neolithisation process in theWestern Mediterranean is undisputable, as are the seminal publi-cations mentioned in the commentary of Ballouche et al. (2012).Thesewerecertainlycitedinformerpapers(Linstadter,2008,2011).Furthermore I would like to take this opportunity to make somefurthercomments.Balloucheetal.(2012)mentionouridentificationof a “less favourable environment” in the semiarid zones of EasternMoroccoatthetimeofNeolithisation.Theauthorsarerightthatuptonow palaeo-environmentaldata,primarily from terrestrial archives,are still scarce and enhanced studies on this topic are urgentlyrequired.However,inourcaseweareactuallyreferringtogeographic(e.g. orographic) factors that have not changed over the lastmillennia.SoutheastSpainandNorthwestMoroccoarelocatedintherain shadow of the Betic Cordillera and the Rif Mountains, respec-tively. Therefore these areas are less humid then areas further west,i.e.whichprofitfromprecipitationfromAtlanticlowpressurefronts.Prehistoric inhabitants had to adapt to these conditions and ourarchaeological record shows that even when Neolithic innovationsbecameavailable,hunting,gatheringandtheuseofmarineresourceswere always a stable component of prevailing land use strategies.A second remark concerns the three periods of “Cardial occu-pation” presented by Ballouche et al. (2012). The authors postulatethat “according to radiocarbon data, the Neolithic of the TangierPeninsula began more or less at the same time as in the other Alboranregions.”Paralleltothistheyalsomentionaspartoftheinitialphase(Period 1) the presence of incised or shell-impressed pottery andpoorlydocumenteddomesticplants.Thisperiodisassignedbythemto the end of the 9th/beginning of the 8th millennia calBP. Thischronological attribution is probably based on radiocarbon agesfrom Kaf That el-Ghar: 8765 176

Protocol for Recording Enamel Hypoplasia in Modern and Archaeological Caprine Populations

This paper outlines the first methodology for recording dental enamel hypoplasia in the high-crowned dentition of modern and archaeological caprine teeth. The method has been developed and trialed on five caprine populations from Orkney (UK); two modern populations (Shetland and North Ronaldsay breeds) and three Neolithic assemblages from the archaeological sites of Knap of Howar, Skara Brae and Holm of Papa Westray. Problems associated with differential tooth wear, as well as the presence of coronal cementum are discussed, and recommendations are given on the identification and recording of hypoplastic dental defects in caprines.

Bone and antler artefacts dated from Early Neolithic discovered recently in South-Western Transylvania,Romania

The article presents an Early Neolithic assemblage made of 11 artefacts of bone and antler discovered recently in South-Western Transylvania, Hunedoara and Alba Counties. The osseous materials artefacts were discovered at Lunca Târnavei-“ Valley” during a periegesis and at Şoimuş/“ Pe Teleci”/“ Teleghi” where due to the extent of the Deva-Orăştie Motorway, more than 500 m of the site were excavated. The Western part of the site was researched by a team from Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilisation of Deva (Cătălin Rişcuţa, Ioan Alexandru Bărbat and Antoniu Marc) ; the artefacts analysed in this article were discovered in this sector. Even if they are only few (N = 13), the pieces are both ordinary and rare or even unique ones. The typology comprises ordinary pieces like : points made of fragments of long bones or scrapers made of ribs. The rare pieces are : red deer antler sleeve, the blank of bone spoon and the fragment of red deer skull cap. Artefacts discovered at Şoimuş can be dated from Starčevo-Criş IC-IIIB.

Stratigraphy and Relative Chronology of the Neolithic Assemblages at the Koksharovsky Kholm Sanctuary

Both absolute and relative chronology suggest that the Koshkino and the Koksharovsky-Yuryinskoye (Kozlov) assemblages at the Koksharovsky Kholm sanctuary date back to the Early Neolithic. Their lower date is the late 6th –early 5th millennia BC, and their upper date is the late 5th – early 4th millennia BC, when they gave rise to the Late Neolithic Poludenka and Basiyanovsky assemblages. In the third quarter of the 4th millennium BC, Late Neolithic assemblages evolved into Chalcolithic ones.

TRANSPORT AND SUBSISTENCE PATTERNS AT THE TRANSITION TO PASTORALISM, KOOBI FORA, KENYA

The Turkana Basin in Kenya has an extensive record of Holocene activities relating to mobility and economy of foraging and herding communities. Obsidian is only known from a few key localities in northern Kenya. As such, the use of obsidian as a toolstone material, commonly used during the mid‐Holocene, provides one way to trace exchange, interaction and population movements during the transition to pastoralism. We employ X‐ray fluorescence to characterize obsidian artefacts from four Pastoral Neolithic assemblages. Data reveal a highly mobile and diversified population that used watercraft to access and transport obsidian resources. Specifically, the use of the North Island obsidian source in Lake Turkana indicates that boat use was significant during this transitional period. The incorporation of watercraft transport and aquatic resources in our analyses of Pastoral Neolithic sites affords a greater understanding of subsistence, mobility and economy in this important period in East African prehistory.