Abstract

This paper looks at the lithic assemblages from a series of Kintampo Complex (Ceramic LSA, 3500-3000 bp) sites on the Gambaga Escarpment in Northeastern Ghana, West Africa. These assemblages contain a small, formal component of ground and chipped stone tools, and a large, informal component of bipolar flakes and flake tools. The size and relative permanence of the Kintampo communities argue for a settled, horticultural subsistence, but the informal tool assemblage indicates regular access to non-local sources of lithic raw material. In this paper I will demonstrate two things. First that the act of forest clearing and burning enhances the animal protein yield to such an extent that a formalized hunting strategy and its consequent toolkit are rendered superfluous, and second, that without the necessity to create a formal, portable toolkit, bipolar technology is a highly effective means of producing efficient tools.