Heritage Cases

Extension of permit 2682 for excavation, sampling and dating at Caves 1 and 2 and Shelters 1A, 1B and 1C of Main Site within the Klasies River National Heritage Site, Humansdorp District, Eastern Cape Province (Case ID 11860): Permit 2682 expires on 28 February 2021. So far two excavation seasons have been undertaken, sampling for dating, micromorphology and geoarchaeological analysis, and isotopic studies have been undertaken. Excellent progress has been made with excavating the Witness Baulk, and found ‘layers’, Shell Midden One (SMONE), Black Occupational Soils ONE, TWO and THREE, and layer Silty Black Soil (SBLS). 15 peer reviewed articles on the Klasies River material have been published, 16 international and 15 local conference presentations by the Klasies River team have been presented. Furthermore, Klasies River was the topic of 5 public presentations, and of two Conversation articles. This output has the potential to grow significantly, but further excavation and sampling is needed. I am requesting an extension of the permit for the following reasons: a) The palimpsest nature of the deposit, fragile nature of the more than 100 000 year old fauna, shellfish and artefacts, and careful plotting of the archaeological material with a total station means that progress cannot be fast. A further complicating factor is the presence of a large stalactite within the layers that we are currently excavating. This is slowing down progress, as we have to be very meticulous in excavating around this very large intrusion. One of the current aims of the work at Klasies River is to excavate the section left un-excavated by Deacon, to bedrock. It is foreseen that this will take at least five or more years. Covid-19 is a complicating factor, and the 2020 season had to be shortened. It is highly unlikely that any fieldwork can be conducted in 2021 as projections indicate a possible third and fourth wave of the pandemic. An extension of the permit is needed to allow further excavation to fulfil the aims of the research project. b) I am collaborating with individuals from a number of institutions, for example UCT, The Royal Holloway University, University of Bergen, NORCE, University of Tuebingen and the University of Liege regarding dating, shellfish analysis, isotopic analysis, geoarchaeologica analysis and use wear analysis. Further excavation and data are needed to understand the deposits to their maximum extent, and therefore an extension is requested to allow this to take place. c) A significant number of theses and dissertations have been undertaken on the excavated material and samples generated by permis 2682, including two completed PHD’s, 5 MSc’s and 6 Honours projects. However, two PhD and five MSc studies are ongoing, and a number of students expressed interest in studying the Klasies River material. It is vital for these current students to be able to undertake their studies in the context of ongoing excavations, another reason for requesting an extension. d) The excavations and sampling at Klasies River the last three years attracted many local and international visitors, and valuable partnerships have been formed. It also provided an opportunity for many students to obtain first hand experience at a Middle Stone Age site in South Africa. Klasies River is one of the only Middle Stone Age sites in South Africa excavated by a local Primary Investigator and local students, as such a premier training opportunity for future generations of archaeologists. Also for this reason, an extension is requested. I request the extension of the current permit for the next three years, 2021 -2024 and note that the scope and the methodology used would not change. I hope that this request for extension would be considered favourably.