Sites

Site E will include a cluster of the units n=25 set around a hill overlooking the floodplain of the Boesman river. A small dam or watering hill will also constructed as a means of attracting game for viewing purposes. The receiving environment completely transformed comprising extensive agricultural land (wheat field) which have been deep ploughed for many years. Some patches of highly endangered Renosteveld Fynbos occurred eroded slopes above the floodplain of the river. Low density scatters of mainly Early stone age ESA and some Middle stone age MSA and few Later stone ages (LSA) artefacts were documented on the east facing slope of the surrounding wheat field which are littered in parts with large numbers of unworked quartz and limestone fragment. A few stone tools including partially retouched LSA quartzite blades were also found in the several sheet washed slopes on the edge of the floodplain in the southern portion of the proposed sites.Overall the tools mainly comprises mostly waste artefacts such as large ESA sides struck flakes and few MSA faceted flakes as well as several large and medium cores. Some flaked/broken cobbles were counted also cover the site. Smaller LSA flake including one utilised flake and one retouched flake were documented, but the number are very small. Two ESA handaxes were also found, one broken bifacial handaxe in silcrete and one incomplete unfacial handaxe in quartzite.It is interesting that the tools including the ESA implements in both locally available fine and rough grained quartzite's as well as in very grained silcrete (grey and yellow). Quartz and quartzite are locally available but the source of silcrete is unknown