Heritage Cases

Introduction Umhlatuzana rockshelter was occupied during different stages of the last Ice Age. To be able to interpret changing behaviours by the site’s occupants it is important to understand the changes that Ice Age climates brought to the local environment. As organic preservation in many Pleistocene layers is poor (cf. Kaplan 1990; Lombard et al. 2010) we aim to use stable isotope geochemistry to determine environmental change through time. Background We have conducted a small-scale geoarchaeological investigation at the site from June 2018 to August 2018. We want to study the changes in human behavior at the site throughout the Pleistocene. To provide crucial palaeoenvironmental context, stable isotope and biomarker analysis appear well-suited. Methods We have sampled loose sediments from the Pleistocene units in zip-loc bags. The sediment will be analyzed for 1) its bulk stable carbon isotope (13C) compositions and 2) extractable lipid content and lipid stable isotope composition (compound specific stable isotope analysis). The carbon isotope analysis will give insight in the general ecological transition, allowing us to track the abundance of C4 plants (mainly grasses) and C3 plants (trees, shrubs) through time. Depending on preservation circumstances we will extract lipid content from the sediments. If successful, lipid extraction allows the determination of plant input to the sediments and if preservation is good enough of changes in the hydrology at the site. Summary The application of these analysis will provide important palaeoenvironmental insights into the last Ice Age in KwaZulu-Natal and thus significantly add to our understanding of past human ways of life.