A Middle Stone Age Paleoscape near the Pinnacle Point caves, Vleesbaai, South Africa

Oestmo, Simen; Schoville, Benjamin J.; Wilkins, Jayne; Marean, Curtis W.

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.07.043

Cited by 42 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 129 publications

(161 reference statements)

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“…Marean et al's (2014) chapter on human evolution and cultural adaptation from the mid Pleistocene is essential reading for scholars interested in the origins of our own species. Ecological studies, also a strength of work in the GCFR, are capably synthesized in chapters on community assembly and function, biotic interactions, plant ecophysiology, and invasive organisms.…”

Section: Greater Cape Floristic Region (Cape Floristic Region and Sucmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…12), as recent discoveries suggest that the dynamically moving late Pleistocene coastline of South Africa may have been a place of central importance for the evolution of our species. This coastline offered an isolated Pleistocene refuge with marine as well as complex terrestrial resources, including a rich diversity of edible (and poisonous) geophytes (Marean 2010;Marean et al 2014;Oestmo et al 2014;Franklin et al 2015). The extraordinary diversity of plant life offered unparalleled opportunities for discovery of uses beneficial to humans (e.g., Sâb, Son or San Pteronia onobromoides [Asteraceae] - Hulley et al 2010; see also Van Wyk 2008).…”

Section: New Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biodiversity hotspots and Ocbil theory

Hopper

Silveira

Fiedler³

2015

Plant Soil

161

129

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Background Ocbil theory aims to develop hypotheses explaining the evolution and ecology of, and best conservation practices for, biota on very old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes (Ocbils). Scope This paper reviews recent multi-disciplinary literature inspired by or reacting to aspects of Ocbil theory and discusses how it can assist conservation in biodiversity hotspots. Conclusions Ocbils occur in at least 12 out of 35 known terrestrial hotspots, but also in other biologically significant sites. Most evidence comes from the Southwest Australian and Greater Cape Floristic Regions, South America's Pantepui, and the Campo Rupestre of Brazil, though predictions of the theory have been corroborated in 22 sites across South America, Western and Eastern Africa, Southern Asia, and Oceania. Most hypotheses have been corroborated, indicating that Ocbil theory has survived largely intact after 6 years of independent scientific critique, quantitative experimentation, and development. The theory also has been extended to allow identification and characterization of OCBISs (old, climatically-buffered, infertile seascapes), and OCFELs (old, climatically-buffered, fertile landscapes). We illustrate that the principles of Ocbil theory are key to conservation of biodiversity at global scale and provide new directions for research that can improve the theoretical and practical contributions of Ocbil theory.

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Section: Greater Cape Floristic Region (Cape Floristic Region and Sucmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: New Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity hotspots and Ocbil theory

Hopper

Silveira

Fiedler³

2015

Plant Soil

161

129

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“…Using Benn's (1994) eigenvalue method, archeological fabrics can be diagnosed based on how well they conform to horizontal and vertical dimensions of displacement. Using the 3D positioning of clasts excavated with high-precision total station plotting, archeologists have been incorporating this method to understand the effects of water runoff, debris flows, and solifluction in prehistoric cultural contexts (e.g., McPherron 2005;Bernatchez 2010;Oestmo et al 2014). McPherron (2018) has recently advanced new analytic tools for statistically calculating confidence intervals and permutation tests for the Benn eigenvectors to aid in site formation history interpretations.…”

Section: Fluvial Movementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental lithic tool displacement due to long-term animal disturbance

Schoville

2018

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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Controlled experiments in lithic technology tend to focus on controlling the human component of lithic tool manufacturing and use; however, animal disturbance can move and alter artifacts in non-random ways, thus altering the behavioral meaning assigned to artifacts and their contexts. The patterning visible in archeological debris on a horizontal plane can provide evidence for activity zones, pathways, and site formation processes. While the effects of trampling actors on the vertical displacement of artifacts have shown that artifacts can be dramatically displaced, the horizontal movement due to trampling is relatively less studied, particularly the effect over extended time periods. Here, an experimental investigation of experimentally produced lithic tools in three contexts with varying degrees of animal trampling intensity is described, and the resulting patterns of artifact displacement are presented. Animal trampling can produce directed, non-random patterning in how artifacts are moved from their original location. The role that bedding slope plays in transport direction given different degrees of activity is also explored. These results show that trampling can produce patterned artifact scatters similar to activity centers and should be taken into consideration for spatial analyses of archeological formation processes.

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“…His paper is likely to be controversial, but it also hard to disagree that structuring the Palaeolithic record around industries, which are both poorly defined and diagnosed by differing and often subjective means, is highly problematic. Oestmo et al (2014) present the results of an extensive study of open-air Middle Stone Age archaeology in South Africa (~100e50 thousand years ago), in close proximity to the site of Pinnacle Point. Open air sites, and 'off site' artefacts, have been understudied compared to caves and rockshelters, and their extensive survey reveals the important information that can be gained from landscape level analyses.…”

Section: The Papersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Attribute analyses of the lithics were conducted, and the finds then left in place. More widely Oestmo et al (2014) demonstrate the need to consider technological variation…”

Section: The Papersmentioning

confidence: 99%