Heritage Cases

I am requesting a temporary export permit for the ostrich eggshell assemblage from the early and mid-Holocene occupations at Grassridge Rockshelter. The assemblage will be shipped to the University of Manitoba in December 2018, either as part of my luggage or couriered, where I will store it in my office (which in not shared and is a secure space). I will analyse and catalogue the assemblage in the Archaeology Lab at the University of Manitoba, and will bring the assemblage back with me when I return to South Africa for further field work at Grassridge in May 2019. The application is taking place in the Eastern Cape, in accordance with ECPHRA and the Albany Museum. Temporary Export Permit for the Ostrich Eggshell Fragments I would like to request a temporary export permit for the ostrich eggshell assemblage from the early and mid-Holocene occupations at Grassridge, so that I can transport the ostrich eggshell to the University of Manitoba and analyse the fragments (count, weigh, note colour/burning, observe any taphonomic features). The analysis will include all unmodified ostrich eggshell fragments from the early and mid-Holocene occupations from B4 (contexts 1000-1020B), the mid-Holocene contexts from C4 (contexts 2000-2016), and the mid-Holocene contexts from C5 (contexts 3000-3012 and contexts 4000-4012). This analysis will provide detailed information on the amount of ostrich eggshell at the site during the early and mid-Holocene occupations, how the amount of unmodified ostrich eggshell compares to the modified ostrich eggshell (for example, ostrich eggshell beads), and detailed taphonomic information on burning and post-depositional processes at Grassridge. I have substantial experience with the analysis of ostrich eggshell (Collins and Steele 2017), and will undertake the analysis myself. The analysis will take place from December 2018 to May 2019, and the ostrich eggshell assemblage will be directly couriered to the University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) using DHL. I will bring the ostrich eggshell assemblage back with me in my luggage when I return to Cape Town in May 2019. All of the ostrich eggshell will be stored in my office (253 St. John’s College, University of Manitoba), which is not shared and is a secure location. The analysis will take place in the Archaeology Laboratory at the University of Manitoba, and will be non-destructive and non-invasive. Attached is a photo of the assemblage to be shipped to the University of Manitoba. The entire assemblage weighs approximately 1.8 kg. I have already received permission from the Albany Museum (attached to this application), and am waiting for the permit to be processed by ECPHRA. I have been in contact with Mr. Sello Mokhanya from ECPHRA and he has indicated that I should proceed with the SAHRA permit application process (correspondence attached to this application). I cannot conduct the analysis at UCT, as I need to return to the University of Manitoba to teach from September 2018 – April 2019. I am returning to South Africa in May 2019 to lead another field season at Grassridge and will bring the ostrich eggshell assemblage back with me as part of my luggage. The address of my office at the University of Manitoba is: 253 St. John’s College University of Manitoba 92 Dysart Road Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2 Collins, B. and Steele, T. E. (2017). An often overlooked resource: Ostrich (Struthio spp.) eggshell in the archaeological record. J. Archaeol. Sci. Rep. 13: 121–131.