Lukenya Hill is geological formation in the Athi-Kapiti Plain of southern Kenya that contains over 300 archaeological sites at its base, believed to date from the later Pleistocene through the Holocene. The word Lukenya is derived from the Maasai word that as loosely translates “thick fog.” The area spans over 16km2 in size.
Geology The geography of Lukenya Hill consists of huge, raised Precambrian granites in an inselberg formation. Late Pleistocene Throughout the Later Stone Age peoples occupied several sites at Lukenya Hill such as GvJm16, GvJm19, GvJm46, and GvJm62. Excavations have produced varying lithics made from materials such as quartz, chert, and local and non-local obsidians. Archaeologists have coined names such as the "Lukenyan" industry to refer to varied technologies such as microliths.
The zooarchaeological remains from GvJm22 include fauna that date from 52,000 years to 12,000 years ago. The remains include both extinct (Damaliscus Hypsodon), and extant (Equus quagga, Alcelaphus buselaphus, Eudorcas thomsoni) fauna.
Isotopic analysis has shown that in the last glacial period, the herbivores in the Lukenya Hill area were distinctly non-analogous to those in modern eastern Africa communities. Non-analogous browsers took in large amounts of grass and exhibited large body morphology relative to modern communities. Studies have also indicated that these non-analogous grazers were localized to this area.
Pastoral Neolithic Radiocarbon dating has placed the earliest pastoralists of this area at the Silanga site on the eastern side of Lukenya Hill at approximately 1900 to 1600 years ago. Foundational researchers in this area such as Charles Nelson have found depositions of sediments and stone arrangements that suggest settlement.
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