Nsongezi Historical Sites
Nsongezi Historical Sites : Nsogenzi is a Stone Age site in the western part of Uganda. Some stories claim that the site was occupied by Teso people. The Bushmen or San are the other race affiliated with these archeological site . Even when the place has rich history only a few things have been documented about it . The rock shelter is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty and in recent years the area around Nsongezi Rock Shelter has once more become a vacation destination. The nearest town is Mbarara and accommodation is plentiful. The rock shelter is some 50 miles (64 km) from the town it is advisable to hire a guide and a car.
Nsongezi, which overlooks the Kagera River and is located not far from Kansyoke Island, another important Neolithic site. It is famous for the Nsongezi Rock shelter that are an important historical and archaeological site. Nsongezi is located in the region of Western Region of Uganda in Isingiro district. Western Region’s capital Mbarara is approximately 49 km / 31 miles away from Nsongezi. The distance from Nsongezi to Uganda’s capital Kampala is approximately 251 km / 156 miles. Excavations and investigations at this site have led to a reappraisal of Stone Age people’s capabilities and culture and it seems they were much more sophisticated than previously believed. The excavation of the Nsongezi Rock shelter in Uganda has changed the view of the late Stone Age in particular.
EARLY INHABITANTS
Some historians point to the early inhabitants of the Nsongezi as being the Twa people (pygmies) of the land. Others claim it was the Teso people that resided in these areas many years ago.
Others pont yo early inhabitants of the land being people of the late Stone Age period from the Winton culture folks of which residents in the rock shelters. These are also believed to be related to the Bushmen that populates most areas of East and Southern Africa.
WHAT TO FIND IN NSONGEZI
Nsongezi is the only known site in the whole of Uganda to have extensive Late Stone Age microliths. These are man-made apparatus, shaped into a point by striking a small piece of stone against the flint. They were a main tools of Late Stone Age societies in Africa and elsewhere and were used in a variety of ways including for weapons such as spearheads and arrow points.
The excavation of the Nsongezi Rock shelter in Uganda has changed the view of the late Stone Age in particular. Examples of flint objects and also pottery found here show that the inhabitants had a great many skills and that they developed proto-industries.
Although Nsongezi rock shelter has been the object of numerous investigations and publications, very little has been written about the “Later Stone Age” industry represented at this and other excavated sites in southern Uganda. Many a people have ventured into this area seeking to make a descriptive analysis of life in these medieval times.
The artefacts recovered from these excavations represent a “Wilton” industry and are dominated by microliths and a wide variety of scrapers. Outils écaillés, becs and burins are also common. The most interesting feature of the industry, however, is the markedly fluctuating frequencies of scrapers and microliths in the four Occurrences at the site. These fluctuations are closely correlated with changes in mean flake size and suggest that activity phases may be differentiated in the stone tool kit.
The rock shelter is located in an area of outstanding natural beauty and in recent years the area around Nsongezi Rock Shelter has once more become a vacation destination.
