Sites

The site consists of a scatter of MSA and occasional ESA stone artefacts eroding out, at various places, of the animal paths running along the edges of the deep, northern ravine. Raw materials include quartzite, on which most of the artefacts are made, but also occasional pieces of chert, and quartz. Selected items are indicated in Plates 10 and 11. It is difficult to know the full extent of these scatters, but they seem to extend across an erosion front of approximately 100 meters, and then seems to disappear. The scatter is located at a point above where some rock overhangs are present. In general, the northern ravine seems to cut through many more rock bands than any of the ravines in the west. As the rock and scree slopes below the edge of the ravine are not very stable, we were unable to access any of the uppermost overhangs to confirm if any artefactual material was present or if in fact any of the shelters had floors that could have supported occupation in the past. Subsequently, we spoke with a Mr van Zyl who has stayed on the farm for most of his life, who indicated that the only “cave” that he knew of, was in the ravine in the general vicinity of this artefact scatter. Mitigation: As artefactual material is likely to be in secondary context, no mitigation is suggested. It would be useful to know if there is in fact an occupied rock shelter in the ravine.