The archaeological context of the Iwo Eleru cranium from Nigeria ...

the ArchAeologicAl context of the iWo eleru crAnium from nigeriA
Figure 8: Late Stone Age sites in West Africa in relation to vegetation zones.
(revised after Shaw 1978-79, Figure 6).
at this point, and the layer of calcareous concretions
above the skeleton did not show any signs of disturbance
either. The excavators believed that the human remains
“probably owe their preservation to a microenvironment
which was exceptionally dry” (Shaw and Daniels, 1984:
29). The calcareous nodules were examined by K. Burke
and S.J. Freeth (in Shaw and Daniels, 1984: 136) and the
conclusion was that they were probably formed as a result
of the seasonal movement of groundwater in this particular
microenvironment. The post-cranial remains were found
to be in a state beyond useful reconstruction, but this did
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not apply to the skull, teeth, and mandible (Brothwell and
Shaw, 1971).
Comparisons to other West African sites
Thurstan Shaw addressed this question in the monograph
devoted to the site, and also in two general accounts of
the Late Stone Age in West Africa (Shaw and Daniels,
1984; Shaw, 1978/79, 1985). The most detailed map was
that published in “Early Man News”, which is reproduced
here (slightly revised) at Figure 8. In the general scheme