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Investigating the Hunting Hypothesis at the Acheulian site of Wonderboom, Tshwane, South Africa

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ProposalDescription: 

The lithic assemblage from Wonderboom represents the largest known collection of Acheulean stone tools from the area surrounding the UNESCO Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in South Africa. Initial interpretations of Wonderboom suggested that it was possibly associated with hominin hunting activities, due to its spatial positioning next to a poort in the Magaliesberg (Mason 1962, 1958, 1957).

Expanded_Motivation: 

The lithic assemblage from Wonderboom represents the largest known collection of Acheulean stone tools from the area surrounding the UNESCO Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in South Africa. Initial interpretations of Wonderboom suggested that it was possibly associated with hominin hunting activities, due to its spatial positioning next to a poort in the Magaliesberg (Mason 1962, 1958, 1957). Mason (1957) hypothesized that Acheulean hunters were possibly ambushing migrating ungulate herds as they passed through the poort, which acted as a natural bottleneck. He further suspected that outcropping quartzites at Wonderboom were ideal for the production of hunting and butchery tools, and that Acheulean populations continuously exploited these landscape features (Mason 1962, 1957). Currently, the earliest evidence of hunting weaponry comes from Kathu Pan in South Africa, where hafted, stone-tipped points were discovered that may date to ≥460 ± 46 ka (Wilkins and Chazan 2012). It is therefore possible that hunting behaviours evolved in southern Africa, sometime during the Acheulean period. However, there are only two Acheulean sites in South Africa that have reported possible evidence of active hunting, Wonderboom and Elandsfontein (Western Cape Province) (Bunn 2019; Mason 1957). Thus, it is important to investigate Wonderboom as the site may hold clues for illuminating the origins of Acheulean hunting behaviours (Smith et al. 2019). A recent assessment of the stone tools from Wonderboom, housed at the University of the Witwatersrand, identified five possible stone-tipped points, which may have functioned as hunting weaponry. Points have only been found at Middle Stone Age (MSA) and transitional (i.e., so-called ‘Fauresmith’) sites in South Africa (Lombard 2005a; Wilkins and Chazan 2012; Kuman et al. 2020). It is very likely that the stone points from Wonderboom are associated with the Acheulean, given their presence amongst other Large Cutting Tools (or LCTs, namely handaxes and cleavers – diagnostic artefacts of the Acheulean), albeit they may represent MSA technology. Investigating the context and site formation history at Wonderboom is necessary to confirm whether the deposit represents a single, rapidly buried accumulation (purely Acheulean), or whether it reflects a more punctuated accumulation history with mixed Acheulean and MSA materials. Wonderboom is comprised of a clast-supported, artefact-rich colluvium, which is seemingly devoid of any stratigraphy (Mason 1957). It is possible that the deposit formed rapidly through a single event, but Mason (1957) did acknowledge that the position of the site on the slopes of the valley and its close association with the nearby quartzite ridge suggested that downslope movement was possible, albeit slight. The fresh condition of the artefacts provided additional support for this model, which indicates minimal artefact transport (Mason 1957). Alternatively, if the accumulation of the colluvium was gradual, then younger MSA materials may have been incorporated into the deposit through successive colluvial events, occurring over time. Clear stratigraphic organization of artefactual materials (i.e. MSA and Acheulean horizons) thus might indicate a ‘gradual accumulation’ model. Currently, the lack of stratigraphy, the single massive deposit, the absence of depositional features (e.g., grading, sorting, fabric and contacts), in addition to the absence of heavy weathering patterns and minimal abrasion on stone tools, supports a rapid accumulation scenario. However, detailed sedimentological research is now required to refine our understanding of site formation processes. We have recently received permission to extract dating samples at Wonderboom (SAHRA permit# 3214), which will help to clarify aspects of the site’s accumulation history. Although, the identification of stone points now requires a more in-depth examination of the site’s sedimentary context, and here we propose to open a new excavation to examine the composition and character of the colluvium, in addition to extracting a new sample of artefacts while employing high-resolution spatial mapping. To investigate the influence of site formation processes, we will study sedimentological aspects of the deposit including changes in both clast and grain size, shape and orientation, by depth. We will also search for signs of post-depositional disturbances, such as bioturbation, that may have led to significant mixing of the deposit. We will study and describe the newly excavated lithics to assess any technological changes, through time. This will complement a current study that is currently under review (Lotter et al. under review), which explored changes in artefact technological production strategies by depth. Any changes in the frequency of diagnostic Acheulean materials (i.e. handaxes and cleavers) and MSA-like technologies (i.e. points, blades and prepared cores) throughout the deposit may signify stratigraphic layering and support a gradual accumulation model. However, if the colluvium represents a rapid accumulation, the stone points from Wonderboom may be some of the oldest evidence of hunting weaponry in southern Africa. Lastly, we have identified a quarry (stone tool production area) approximately 33m to the southeast of Mason’s excavation area. Large flakes (>10 cm) were struck directly from outcropping quartzites and remain as large negative flake scars; large flakes are a characteristic of Acheulean toolmaking (Gopher & Barkai 2014). We will survey the quartzite hills to the south of the Mason’s excavation and record all quarry areas, and we propose to collect surface finds from this area to investigate the early stages of lithic production. We will also collect metric and techno-morphological data from all of the exposed flake scars to help characterize what strategies hominins employed when quarrying their raw materials (e.g., scar dimensions, edge angles, platform preparation, scar number and sequence and flaking direction). A recent assessment of the stone tools from Wonderboom, housed at the University of the Witwatersrand, identified five possible stone points, which may have functioned as hunting weaponry. However, it remains unknown if these artefacts are affiliated with the Acheulean technocomplex or are intrusive and younger, i.e. Middle Stone Age. Investigating the context and site formation history at Wonderboom is necessary to confirm whether the deposit represents a single, rapidly buried accumulation (purely Acheulean), or whether it reflects a more punctuated accumulation history with mixed Acheulean and MSA materials. The potential occurrence of hunting weaponry at Wonderboom may predate the oldest known assemblages of hunting tools and conclusively demonstrate that hunting behaviours evolved during the Acheulean period in southern Africa. In sum, the potential impact of the project may contribute to and/or shift global perceptions concerning the development of hominin hunting strategies and associated cognitive and social capacities.

ApplicationDate: 

Saturday, May 15, 2021 - 08:04

CaseID: 

16465

OtherReferences: 

ReferenceList: 

CitationReferenceType
Gopher, A. and Barkai, R., 2014. Middle Paleolithic open-air industrial areas in the Galilee, Israel: The challenging study of flint extraction and reduction complexes. Quaternary International, 331, 95-102.
Lombard, M., 2005. A method for identifying Stone Age hunting tools. South African Archaeological Bulletin, 60, 115-120.
Bunn, H.T., 2019. Large ungulate mortality profiles and ambush hunting by Acheulean-age hominins at Elandsfontein, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Journal of Archaeological Science, 107, 40-49.
Mason, R.J., 1957. Preliminary Note on an Earlier Stone Age Site at Wonderboom South Pretoria. South African Journal of Science, 53, 431-434.
Mason, R.J., 1958. An Earlier Stone Age Site at Wonderboom South, Pretoria. South African Archaeological Bulletin, 13, 36–37.
Mason, R.J., 1962. Prehistory of the Transvaal. The University of the Witwatersrand Press: Johannesburg, Z.A.
Wilkins, J., and Chazan, M., 2012. Blade production∼ 500 thousand years ago at Kathu Pan 1, South Africa: Support for a multiple origins hypothesis for early Middle Pleistocene blade technologies. Journal of Archaeological Science, 39, 1883-1900.
 
 

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