Heritage Cases

The initial rescue style work by Pollorolo et al (2010) left some fundamental questions left unanswered. First, why where there no diagnostic tool types found in the excavation despite a seeming abundance in the dump? Second, how extensive and what was the geomorphology of the deposit? Third, where was the deposit at its thickest and therefore most archaeologically rich and informative? These were the focus of the second phase of work and excavation at the site, starting in 2011 under my direction. These questions have largely been answered through the geoarchaeological approaches used during my excavations and are described in the attached research report. The final documentation of the exposed artefact-bearing level in the open excavations remains and this will be conducted in 2014. The high resolution documentation of the exposed surface is important for refining our understanding of the depositional morphology of the landscape. In addition, small test pits will be excavated to a depth of about 1.3m to track the artefact-bearing level's thickness, clast size and artefact proportions across the Maropeng property, with particular focus on the transect between the main excavation area and the amphitheatre where lateral margins of the same level have been identified. These test pits will complement the morphological information gleaned from the excavations and clarify the relationship between the artefact-bearing level, the intrusive dolerite and the buildings to give us an understanding of the topography of the landscape at the point when the artefacts were accumulated.