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Cave of Hearths dating

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The Cave of Hearths (CoH), located in the Makapan Valley in the Limpopo Province close to the modern town of Mokopane, has long been an influential site to trace the evolution of hominins in southern Africa (Mason 1969; 1988, McNabb and Sinclair 2009). Apart from some earlier investigations, excavations were initiated in the 1940s and continued into the 1950s (Mason 1969). The CoH yielded in situ Acheulian (Early Stone Age; ESA) occupation in Beds 1 to 3, which dates to between 780 000 and 500 000 years ago (Herries and Latham 2009). The CoH also has an extensive Middle Stone Age (MSA) occupation, found in Beds 4 to 9, as well as ephemeral Later Stone Age (LSA) and recent Iron Age/historical occupations. Mason (1969) divided the MSA beds at the CoH, based on lithics, as follows: Bed 4 – Early Pietersburg Culture, Bed 5 – Middle Pietersburg Culture, and Beds 6-9 – Later Pietersburg Culture. The presence of lithics from the Pietersburg Industry places the MSA at the CoH in the MSA I and II, dating to between 128 000 and 75 000 (Wurz 2013). Following the excavations from several decades ago, the large mammal fauna was identified by Cooke (1969, 1988). More recently, the taphonomy of the ESA Beds 1-3 was studied (Ogola 2003, 2009). Carnivore chew marks, rodent gnaw marks (mostly by porcupines) and butchery evidence by people have been noted on the large mammal remains (Cooke 1969, 1988), suggesting a complex accumulation history for the fauna. More recently, some aspects of the MSA fauna have been restudied by students that I am supervising (Khoaele 2021, Maloka in preparation, Masekwa 2021). These recent studies are part of my research agenda to reinvestigate the fauna from the CoH. Moreover, these three recent studies are already confirmed a complex history of bone accumulation at the CoH. At the time of Cooke’s (1969) study, an understanding of taphonomy was in its infancy. It was only in the following decades that the seminal work by Brain (1981) was able to distinguish between those faunal assemblages accumulated by hominins, hyenas, leopards, porcupines and birds of prey. This area of taphonomy has remained an important avenue of research in South Africa (e.g. Cruz-Uribe 1991, Hutson and Cain 2008). It is evident that a re-analyses of the CoH fauna has great potential.

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In 1975, J. W. Kitching, then at the Bernhard Price Institute, collected animal remains from loose rubble at the back of the CoH, but outside the excavated area. According to Kitching, the collection of bones correspond to the upper MSA and LSA levels of the CoH. A preliminary inspection of the fauna suggest that they represent a natural accumulation of fauna, with no hominin involvement. Potential agents of accumulation of this collection likely porcupines and/or carnivores like hyenas or leopards. No cultural material (ie, lithics) is present in the collection, but it appears to be Late Quaternary in age. Some specimens are clearly older than others in the collection. It is also likely that the collection represents several episodes of accumulation, possibly by more than one natural agent. The collection is housed at the Evolutionary Studies Institute. With this application, I am requesting to submit two long bone shafts for AMS dating at the Beta Analytic Testing Laboratory in Miami, Florida, USA. The two specimens are unidentifiable specimens, as they lack any morphological characteristics (e.g. Plug 2014) and cannot be used for species identification. They will be send by courier to Florida where they will be destroyed for dating purposes. The AMS dating facilities at Wits is currently unavailable. The dating laboratory in the USA requires at least 4g of bone for dating purposes. Both specimens are larger in size, and weight 13g and 17g respectively, and will provide sufficient bone for dating purposes. The dates, if successful, will provide a relative timeframe and context for the accumulation of the specimens. I currently have an Honours student, Ms. K Maloka, and she is showing interest in a Masters project in 2022 under my supervision This collection obtained by Kitching is well-suited for this purpose. The MSc project will focus on identifying the specimens to taxa-level, to record taphonomic modifications, and ultimately, to determining the agent, or agents of accumulation of this faunal collection using a variety of established criteria. If the dating is successful, the study will also provide information on the environmental conditions during the Late Quaternary in the Makapan Valley, an aspect that is receiving renewed attention (Maloka in preparation). Statement why this study cannot be done in South Africa: No AMS facilities are available in South Africa. References - Brain, C. K. 1981. The Hunters or the Hunted? An Introduction to African Cave Taphonomy. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. - Cooke, H. B. S. 1969. Notes on the faunal remains from the Cave of Hearths and Kalkbank. In: Prehistory of the Transvaal. A record of human activity, by R. Mason, 447-453. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press. - Cooke, H. B. S. 1988. The larger mammals from the Cave of Hearths. In: Cave of Hearths, Makapansgat, Transvaal, by R. Mason, 507-534. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand. - Cruz-Uribe, K. 1991. Distinguishing hyena from hominid bone accumulations. Journal of Field Archaeology 18:467-486. - Herries, A. I. R. and Latham, A. G. 2009. Archaeomagnetic studies at the Cave of Hearths. In: The Cave of Hearths: Makapan Middle Pleistocene Research Project, edited by J. McNabb and A. G. M. Sinclair, 59–64. Oxford: Archaeopress. - Hutson, J. M. and Cain C. R. 2008. Reanalysis and Reinterpretation of the Kalkbank Faunal Accumulation, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Journal of Taphonomy 6(3-4):399-428. - Khoaele, M. 2021. The rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis) from the Middle Stone Age beds at the Cave of Hearths. Honours thesis. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand. - Masekwa, K. 2021. Carnivores and primates from Middle Stone Age layers at the Cave of Hearths. Honours thesis. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand. - Mason, R. 1969. Prehistory of the Transvaal. A record of human activity. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press. - Mason, R. 1988. Cave of Hearths, Makapansgat, Transvaal. Occasional Paper 21. Archaeological Research Unit. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand. - McNabb, J. and Sinclair, A. G. M. (editors) 2009. The Cave of Hearths: Makapan Middle Pleistocene Research Project. Oxford: Archaeopress. - Ogola, C. 2003. Taphonomy of the Cave of hearths Acheulean bone assemblage. MSc Dissertation. Johannesburg: The University of the Witwatersrand. - Ogola, C. 2009. The taphonomy of the Cave of Hearths Acheulean faunal assemblage. In: The Cave of Hearths: Makapan Middle Pleistocene Research Project: Field Research by Anthony Sinclair and Patrick Quinney, 1996-2001, edited by J. McNabb and A. Sinclair, 65- 74. Oxford: Archaeopress. - Plug, I., 2014. What bone is that? A guide to the identification of southern African mammal bones. Rosslyn Press, Wierda Park. - Wurz, S. 2013. Technological trends in the Middle Stone Age of South Africa between MIS 7 and MIS 3. Current Anthropology 54(S8):S305-S319.

ApplicationDate: 

Friday, October 22, 2021 - 15:14

CaseID: 

17395

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COH 1 and 2
 
 

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