The South African Stone Age Sequence updated (II)

A decade ago, we summarised the South African and Lesotho Stone Age technocomplex sequence as a heuristic exercise, anchored in 242 dated assemblages (Lombard et al. 2012). Following Clarke (1968), Sampson (1974) and Deacon (1980), we defined a technocomplex as a group of industries characterised by assemblages that have many, but not all, properties in common. Spatiotemporal changes and shifts in artefact design and frequencies owing to material use/availability and socio-economic factors are built into the framework. The accompanying dataset was intended to serve as a useful resource to both students and professionals, and to fuel research and debate.NWOVidi 276-60-004Human Origin

The South African Stone Age Sequence updated (II)

A decade ago, we summarised the South African and Lesotho Stone Age technocomplex sequence as a heuristic exercise, anchored in 242 dated assemblages (Lombard et al. 2012). Following Clarke (1968), Sampson (1974) and Deacon (1980), we defined a technocomplex as a group of industries characterised by assemblages that have many, but not all, properties in common. Spatiotemporal changes and shifts in artefact design and frequencies owing to material use/availability and socio-economic factors are built into the framework. The accompanying dataset was intended to serve as a useful resource to both students and professionals, and to fuel research and debate.</p

New excavations at Umhlatuzana Rockshelter, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a stratigraphic and taphonomic evaluation

Umhlatuzana rockshelter has an occupation sequence spanning the last 70,000 years. It is one of the few sites with deposits covering the Middle to Later Stone Age transition (~40,000–30,000 years BP) in southern Africa. Comprehending the site’s depositional history and occupation sequence is thus important for the broader understanding of the development of Homo sapiens’ behavior. The rockshelter was first excavated in the 1980s by Jonathan Kaplan. He suggested that the integrity of the late Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age sediments was compromised by large-scale sediment movement. In 2018, we initiated a high-resolution geoarchaeological study of the site to clarify the site formation processes. Here, we present the results of the excavation and propose a revised stratigraphic division of the Pleistocene sequence based on field observations, sedimentological (particle size) analyses, and cluster analysis. The taphonomy of the site is assessed through phytolith and geochemical (pH, loss on ignition, stable carbon isotope) analyses. The results indicate a consistent sedimentological environment characterized by in situ weathering. The analysis of the piece-plotted finds demonstrates semihorizontal layering of archaeologically dense zones and more sterile ones. There was no indication of large-scale postdepositional sediment movement. We show that the low-density archaeological horizons in the upper part of the Pleistocene sequence are best explained by the changing patterns of sedimentation rateNWOVidi 276-60-004Human Origin