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Reconstructing Middle Stone Age lifeways and paleotemperatures using shellfish as proxies: A perspective from southern Cape, South Africa

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Case Type: 

ProposalDescription: 

Overview Some of the earliest evidence of coastal exploitation by humans anywhere in the world is found in the archaeological sites along the southern coast of South Africa dating to the Middle Stone Age. Blombos Cave is one of the sites that are regarded as essential for our understanding of the evolution of anatomically modern humans and the development of modern behavior and cognition (Marean, 2010; Compton, 2011). In coastal southern Africa, one of the traits commonly associated with the emergence of modern human behavior is the exploitation of marine resources. Mollusc shells excavated at archaeological sites can yield crucial information on various aspects of early human occupation, including subsistence, seasonality, paleoenvironment, and chronology (Andrus, 2011; Langejans et al., 2012). Previous research by Nicholas Shackleton, Francis Thackeray, Mariagrazia Galimberti, and Emma Loftus, among others, has demonstrated the utility of the gastropod Turbo sarmaticus for paleoclimate research (Shackleton, 1973; Galimberti, 2010; Loftus, 2016; Thackeray, 2018). From the δ18O values of the archaeological Turbo sarmaticus opercula, I aim to reconstruct the sea surface temperatures and environmental conditions throughout the Middle Stone Age sequence at Blombos Cave. The season of occupation and the possibility to construct an age model for the entire MSA sequence will also be in the scope of my research. This PhD project will contribute to a better understanding of the site-specific and regional paleoclimate variability in the southern coastal area of South Africa during Marine Isotope Stages 5 and 4 by providing detailed sea surface temperatures and seasonally resolved paleoclimate records. In a broader context, these records will indicate how and to what degree paleoenvironmental conditions affected early human development, adaptability, and resource procurement. On the other hand, a shell-based age model will complement other dating methods that have been employed to refine the Middle Stone Age chronology of Blombos Cave.

Expanded_Motivation: 

Objective /Aim of your research The main objective of this PhD project is to better our understanding of the Middle Stone Age lifeways through isotopic data obtained from Turbo sarmaticus shellfish remains. If the stable oxygen isotope composition of the archaeological Turbo sarmaticus opercula is preserved, it can be used to estimate past sea-surface temperatures, the season of shellfish harvesting, and to potentially refine the dating of the archaeological deposits. We investigated the mineralogical and stable oxygen isotope response in Turbo sarmaticus shellfish species to heat exposure and the implications that thermal-induced alterations in shell material have for the accuracy of paleotemperature reconstructions from shells from archaeological sites. Based on these results, we created a sample selection plan for the archaeological Turbo sarmaticus opercula excavated at Blombos Cave. From the stable oxygen isotope values of selected archaeological Turbo sarmaticus opercula, we will obtain detailed sea surface temperatures and seasonally resolved paleoclimate records. Since archaeological shells represent archives of both environmental and social information, by analyzing their stable oxygen isotopic signals we will produce a long-term record of environmental change interbedded with cultural change across the Middle Stone Age sequence within the setting of a single coastal environment. We will also evaluate the seasonal timing of shellfish harvesting and the season of site occupation throughout the sequence. Another objective of this research is to construct an age model for the Middle Stone Age sequence at Blombos Cave based on the δ18O values from Turbo sarmaticus opercula. Sea-level fluctuations on glacial to interglacial timescales alter the δ18O of the water and these changes are then recorded in marine shells if the temperature is relatively constant. Since the marine isotopic record is well-dated, by correlating the δ18O of the opercula, which are chosen in stratigraphic order, we can create an age model for Blombos Cave. Methodology The intended methodology for this research consists of mineralogical and stable oxygen isotope analyses and entails minimal destruction. Both types of analyses require powdered samples from the opercula drilled in high resolution. High-resolution sampling will either be performed with a micromill or with a stationary dental drill with a 300 μm diameter drill bit. Approximately 0.5 mg of powder will be extracted for each sample, which is sufficient for both the mineralogical and isotopic analyses. Regarding the minimal destructive component of the sampling, the sampled opercula will have a nested sequence of milled lines, approximately 2 mm wide and less than 0.5 mm deep. The minimum length of the nested sequence of milled lines will be around 2-3 mm. Using an FTIR-ATR instrument, I will firstly pre-screen samples to determine their mineralogical composition and eliminate those samples that show signs of diagenetic alterations. Only the samples without observed mineralogical alterations will be used for the stable oxygen isotope analysis. The isotopic analyses will be performed on a Finnegan MAT 253 mass spectrometer coupled to a Kiel IV automated carbonate preparation device.

ApplicationDate: 

Sunday, June 27, 2021 - 21:08

CaseID: 

16691

OtherReferences: 

ReferenceList: 

CitationReferenceType
Andrus, C. F. T., 2011. Shell midden sclerochronology, Quaternary Science Reviews, Vol. 30, Issue 21, 2892-2905.
Compton, J. S., 2011. Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations and human evolution on the southern coastal plain of South Africa, Quaternary Science Reviews 30, 506–527.
Galimberti, M. 2010. Investigating the use of oxygen and carbon isotopes and sclerochronology on Turbo sarmaticus and Donax serra for palaeoenvironment reconstruction at Pinnacle Point, South Africa, Doctoral dissertation, University of Cape Town
Langejans, G. H. J., van Niekerk, K. L., Dusseldorp, G. L., and Thackeray, J. F. 2012. Middle Stone Age shellfish exploitation: potential indications for mass collecting and resource intensification at Blombos Cave and Klasies River, South Africa, Quaternary International, Vol. 270, 80–94.
Loftus, E. 2016. Sea surface temperatures from oxygen isotopes in marine molluscs in Middle and Later stone age sites, South Africa, Doctoral dissertation, University of Oxford
Marean, C. 2010. Coastal South Africa and the co-evolution of the modern human lineage and the coastal adaption. In: Bicho, L.G., Haws, N.F. and Davis, J.A. (eds), Trekking the Shore. Changing coastlines and the antiquity of coastal settlement, Springer, 421-440.
Shackleton, N. J. 1973. Oxygen Isotope Analysis as a Means of Determining Season of Occupation of Prehistoric Midden Sites, Archaeometry, Vol. 15, Issue FEB, 133-141.
Thackeray, F. 2018. Oxygen Isotope Ratios of Turbo sarmaticus Molluscan Opercula from Late Pleistocene Archaeological Deposits, Klasies River, South Africa, South African Archaeological Bulletin, Vol. 73, Issue 208, 143–146.
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