A new archaeological chrono-cultural sequence for the rock art site of Ndalambiri, Cuanza Sul, Angola

• Final Pleistocene Stone Age occupations are reported from the Angolan National Heritage site of Ndalambiri Rockshelter. • A stratigraphic sequence exceeding 2.5 m in depth encompasses the Early and Late Iron Age in Angola. • The earliest evidence of contextualized iron production in Angola dates to the 5th century CE. • The material culture is associated with the Phase II and Phase III rock art panels. • Technological continuity is observed in both ceramic and lithic industries between the Early and Late Iron Age remains. A new fieldschool program at the National Heritage painted rockshelter of Ndalambiri, Cuanza Sul Province, Angola, has revealed a 2.5 m chrono-stratigraphic sequence comprising 15 archaeological units or layers and 15 anthropogenic features, spanning from over 45,000 years ago to the 19th century. The sequence is divided into Stone Age (>16 000 years), Early Iron Age (from the 5th century CE), and Late Iron Age (from the 8th century CE) phases. We present the archaeological findings, including analyses of the faunal assemblage, ceramic, iron, and lithic technologies along with a new 3D model for the Ndalambiri painted fresco that extends over 60 m and comprises at least three phases providing new opportunities for rock art studies at the site. The results are discussed in the context of the existing Angolan archaeological record. Ndalambiri provides the earliest reliable evidence of iron production in Angola, dating from at least the 5th century CE. Due to the limited regional context and based on the archaeological association of quartz microlithism, ceramics, and iron technologies, the identity of Ndalambiri’s occupants and painters remains uncertain. The archaeological record of Ndalambiri rather supports a complex population scenario in Angola during the Iron Age, reflecting diverse orientations of influences and cultural interactions.