Heritage Cases

Introduction Application for an export permit to export micromorphology samples taken at UMhlatuzana rockshelter to the Netherlands. Here the samples will be impregnated in resin and and thin sections will be cut at the laboratory of the National Heritage Agency. The thin sections will be analysed by Irini Sifogeorgaki under supervision of prof. Hans Huisman and Dr. Gerrit Dusseldorp. Additional sediment samples will be analysed for complementary information using loss on ignition and granulometry analysis. The study will provide crucial insights into the taphonomy of the stratigraphic sequence at the site. Umhlatuzana rockshelter preserves a long record of human occupation and is an important site in debates on Middle Stone Age technological innovations (e.g. Högberg and Lombard 2016). Unfortunately, the stratigraphy of Umhlatuzana rockshelter is badly understood. We want to conduct morphological analysis to clarify the depositional processes of the sequence and to address two important problems to our understanding of the site: - In the lower two-thirds of the sequence, no natural stratigraphy was visible to the original excavator (Kaplan 1990) - The possibility that some mechanism of sediment displacement post-depositionally affected the archaeological deposits was proposed (Kaplan 1990). We hereby apply for an export permit of 31 micromorphological samples and 20 sediment samples for complementary analysis. Background Geeske Langejans and Gerrit Dusseldorp currently hold the excavation permit for Umhlatuzana rockshelter. We have conducted a small-scale geoarchaeological investigation at the site from 11 June 2018 to 20 August 2018. We have observed subtle differences between different units in the sequence and want to investigate further if these are the remains of different stratigraphic entities. We have also observed that in the lower part of the sequence two different sedimentary aggregates are present. We want to investigate how these relate to each other and if post-depositional sediment movement explains their presence. Micromorphological analysis is ideally suited to address these questions. Methods We have sampled the units of interest for micromorphological analysis and have taken bulk sediment samples to conduct complementary analyses (pH, granulometry, Magnetic Susceptibility, Loss of Ignition). We have recorded the samples in the profile both photographically and using a Robotic Total Station. We retrieved the samples en bloc from the profile using plaster or Kubiena tins, keeping them in as undisturbed a state as possible. We will take some samples as hand luggage and ship the remained as fragile luggage with KLM airlines to Amsterdam after which we will personally deliver them to the laboratory of the State Heritage Agency in Amersfoort. The micromorphological samples will be impregnated with resin at the laboratory of the Dutch Heritage Agency. After the resin has hardened, thin-sections will be produced of the samples. They will be analyzed by Irini Sifogeorgaki under supervision from micromorphology expert prof. Hans Huisman and archaeologist Dr. Gerrit Dusseldorp. Additional analysis such as granulometry will also be performed. After the analysis is complete, a representative sample of the thin sections that are produced will be returned to the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg. High resolution scans and of all samples will also be returned to the Museum. Summary The application of micromorphological analysis is crucial for the understanding of the formation of the archaeological deposits at Umhlatuzana rockshelter. The analysis of the samples covered in this permit will thus greatly add to the archaeological information potential of the site.