Heritage Cases

Kathu Pan is a series of sinkholes located to the north of the town of Kathu. This site is a key component of the Kathu Complex of sites which includes Kathu Pan, Kathu Townlands, and Bestwood. Kathu Pan is currently at risk due to expansion of housing reaching to the boundaries of the declared area. Current research is focused on understanding the articulation of the various localities within Kathu Pan. This effort is critical for understanding the chronology and paleoenvironment of hominin occupation and also for anticipating any effect of development, for example from changes to the water table and runoff. Our research involves high precision archaeological excavation with recording of contextual data with a total station and a high level of recovery using flotation or sieving through a fine mesh; sampling for a wide range of paleoenvironmental proxies including pollen, phytolith, sediment isotopes, and micromorphology; the use of remote sensing (Ground Penetrating Radar) and borehole sampling to reconstruct paleolandscape; and multiple dating methods including luminescence (OSL, IRSL, ESR), radiocarbon, and microtephra). All recovered materials are curated in the McGregor Museum Kimberley. A total of 10 sinkholes were identified by Peter Beaumont within Kathu Pan. Each of these sinkholes exposes a Pleistocene-Holocene sedimentary sequence. Our research has focused on the sinkholes designated as KP1 and KP6. We consider KP 8 and KP 9 to be lateral extensions of the same deposits found at KP6, and KP10 has largely disappeared as the result of sinkhole activity. Kathu Pan 1 is a doline infill site that preserves a sequence spanning Earlier Stone Age (Strata 4a-4b); Middle Stone Age (Stratum 3); and Holocene (Strata 2-1). Excavations by P. Beaumont recovered a large assemblage of Acheulean (St. 4b) and Fauresmith (St. 4a) artifacts and associated fauna. In 2004 our team reopened the excavation area and cleaned sections to recover samples for dating. The results of this research (Porat et al. 2009) place the Fauresmith of St. 4a at ca. 450-500,000 BP based on both OSL and ESR ages. Research by Jayne Wilkins for her PhD thesis has demonstrated intentional blade production in St. 4a, thus establishing this contexts as among the earliest known sites with evidence of this technology (Wilkins and Chazan 2011). Further research by Wilkins suggests that points in the St. 4a assemblage were used as spear tips. Kathu Pan 6 is found to the southwest of KP1 at a slightly higher elevation. The stratigraphy is described in Lukich et al. (2020, 2021) based on field observations supported by micromorphology and particle size analysis with the designation of 12 sedimentary beds. The lithic assemblage from KP6 includes four distinct components. The uppermost and first component, found in bed 6, is a rich LSA assemblage with a microlithic component characteristic of the Wilton complex, comparable with Wonderwerk Cave, excavation 1, strata 3b–4c (Ecker et al. 2017; Humphreys and Thackeray 1983). As at Wonderwerk, the Wilton at KP6 is characterized by well-made crescents including a large number made on crystal quartz. Along with the lithic industry, all stages of the manufacture of ostrich eggshell beads are present. A small sample of fauna was recovered during the 2016 excavation. The second component of the lithic assemblage, found in beds 9 and 10, is technologically and typologically consistent with the Howiesons Poort. Blade production is on wedge-shaped cores, unidirectional exploitation, and frequent overpassing removals. Technological traits identified by Soriano et al. (2007) in their analysis of the Howiesons Poort from Rose Cottage Cave are present in the KP6 assemblage, including punctiform and oval triangular platforms, often with lipping, and trimming off the ventral surface before flake removals. Two backed microliths were recovered in 2015 and 24 in 2016. In addition to these backed pieces, one bifacially retouched fragment typological consistent with a Stillbay Point was recovered in 2015 excavation, as well as one bifacial point fragment and one unifacial point fragment with flat retouch recovered in 2016. The raw material of this component is extremely varied and includes rare materials such as rose quartz, quartz crystal, and the translucent chert or quartzite. The third component consists of a large assemblage of heavily weathered artifacts found in bed 11. Weathering affects the pieces uniformly suggesting in situ chemical weathering. This assemblage can be assigned to an Early MSA and is comparable with the stratum 3 assemblage from KP1 (Porat et al. 2010). Generalized flake technology that produces thick flakes with little evidence of core preparation is observed here. This assemblage overlies and is partly intermingled with the fourth component in bed 12 which can be assigned to the Fauresmith with close similarities to the Fauresmith of KP1 stratum 4a (Porat et al. 2010; Wilkins and Chazan 2012). In clear contrast to the overlying Early MSA, the Fauresmith material is relatively fresh and unaltered except for patination and in some cases the development of a silica gloss on the surface. Technologically, the assemblage is very similar to the Fauresmith of Stratum 4a KP1 with prepared core technology for the production of blades, points, and flakes, many with carefully prepared platforms. As mentioned above, only a very limited area has been excavated into the Fauresmith component. Luminescence dating of this stratigraphic sequence is presented in Lukich et al. 2019, and correlations with KP 8 and 9 in Lukich et al. 2020. An article on the Wilton component is currently under review for publication. Goals: This project has the following goals: 1. To further excavation at KP1 to refine the stratigraphy, paleoenvironment, site formation, and chronology. 2. To expand the horizontal exposure of the Wilton occupation of KP6 to gain an understanding of site structure. 3. To sample to refine the dating of KP6 including expanding excavation of the lowermost beds. 4. To collect landscape scale data through coring and geophysical survey. Scope: At KP1 excavation will extend Beaumont’s excavated area north over an area of 2 x 6 meters. This area will be excavated to the base of St. 4b. Sounding will be made into the underlying St. 5 for sampling for paleomagnetic dating. Thi Methods: Excavation will take place in 0.25 square meter units in spits of 5 cm. All finds will be plotted in situ using a total station and strike and dip will be recorded. Sediments will be screened through a 2 mm. mesh screen. Emphasis will be placed on in situ consolidation of faunal remains using methods developed by the Florisbad Research Station. All materials will be curated at the McGregor Museum. Conservation and analysis of faunal remains will take place at the Florisbad research station. Conservation: At the end of the excavation the excavated profile will be buttressed using military sandbags and backfilled. This research takes place in the context of long term planning by the McGregor Museum for the protection of Kathu Pan 1 and other sites in the vicinity. Research Team: This project is an offshoot of the Wonderwerk Cave research project and shares much of the same personnel. Michael Chazan (University of Toronto): Project Director, Lithic Analysis David Morris (McGregor Museum): Site Management Liora Kolska Horwitz (Hebrew University): Faunal Analysis Naomi Porat (Israel Geological Survey): OSL Dating Candice Koopowitz, Selina Amiral: PhD students, Geoarchaeology Charly Bank: Geophysics Jayde Hirniak: Cryptotephra Nyebe Mohale, Daryl Codron, Michaela Ecker: Stable Isotopes Wendy Black: LSA archaeology Precious Chiwara: Lithic analysis