New ages from Sehonghong rock shelter: Implications for the late Pleistocene occupation of highland Lesotho

Abstract

5This paper provides a reference to estimate the representation of large-sized items (seeds 6 and fruits, mainly) in samples of larger and smaller volume in wetland sites with the aim of 7proposing a minimum sample size to recover these remains in a representative way. For this, 8 almost 100 samples from a late Neolithic settlement phase found at the lakeshore site of 9Parkhaus Opéra (Zürich, Switzerland) were subsampled into one larger subsample (A-10 sample, of ca. 3 litres of volume) and one smaller subsample (B-sample, of ca. 0.3 l of 11 volume). We compared how large and small-sized items were represented in the different 12 fractions of large and small subsamples on the basis of ubiquity, concentration and 13proportions between the taxa. Large-sized remains (like Prunus spinosa or charred 14 fragments of Corylus avellana) and some medium-sized remains (Najas, Aethusa cynapium) 15were more often represented in larger subsamples and therefore are considered to be 16underrepresented in smaller samples. Average concentration values were similar in both 17 groups of samples (and therefore comparable) but large differences were observed on a 18one-to-one sample basis, finding no positive monotonic correlation between them. Our 19 observations also prove that in order to obtain data that are comparable to dryland sites 20 concerning charred remains (including cereals and large-seeded wild fruits), large volume 21 samples of at least ca. 3 l are needed. Counting units per taxon in each fraction were re-22 defined on the basis of the results obtained. Finally, some clues to interpret results 23 concerning large-sized items in sites with samples of small volume are also proposed 24 following our observations. 25 26 Key-words: lakeshore settlement, methodology, sample size, quantification 27 28

Understanding Early Later Stone Age technology at a landscape-scale: evidence from the open-air locality Uitspankraal 7 (UPK7) in the Western Cape, South Africa

“…Assemblages attributed to the Robberg generally date to ~18-12 ka, though they may begin earlier and end later in the southeast than elsewhere in southern Africa (Loftus et al 2016). The earliest dates reported so far for the Robberg, for instance, are associated with the late Pleistocene sequence at Sehonghong in Lesotho (Pargeter et al 2017). Robberg assemblages are broadly characterised by evidence for the systematic production of small blades/bladelets (generally inferred from the presence of high frequencies of blades/bladelets and/or the cores from which they were produced); the preferential use of finegrained materials such as silcrete, fine grain silicious (FGS)/crypto-crystalline silicates (CCS; sometimes referred to as opalines) and quartz; the common use of bipolar techniques for reducing stone (as evidenced by bipolar flakes and cores and/or the presence of pièces esquillées); and relatively low frequencies of formal retouched artefact types (H. J.…”

Coastal occupation and foraging during the last glacial maximum and early Holocene at Waterfall Bluff, eastern Pondoland, South Africa

“…Similarly, the patterning in the distribution of radiocarbon dates from Sehonghong suggests that during the early LGM, ca. 24-23 ka, the Lesotho highlands offered increased opportunities for hunter-gatherers, but only before conditions deteriorated sufficiently to discourage further occupation (Pargeter et al, 2017). While the regional record shows a lack of occupation during the LGM, the archaeological records from Waterfall Bluff shows evidence for human occupation in near-coastal contexts (see Fig.…”

“…In southern Africa, this has resulted in a near complete absence of records documenting coastal occupation and resource use dating to glacial periods. Evidence of huntergatherers from more inland locations shows that contemporary groups had adapted to the widespread and largely open landscapes, innovating maintainable and lightweight lithic toolkits that emphasized miniaturized freehand and bipolar core bladelet technologies (Mitchell, 1988;Pargeter et al, 2017). The presence of marine shell at some of these inland sites strongly suggests that some inland groups maintained connections to coastlines during this timeframe (Deacon, 1984;Wadley, 1993;Mitchell, 1996).…”

An archaeological radiocarbon database for southern Africa

“…Both regions have long records of hunter-gatherer occupation, with well-dated rockshelter deposits spanning the entirety of the Later Stone Age sequence, if not beyond. Recently, archaeologists have contrasted cultural and technological events from coastal locations and the continental interior (Loftus et al 2016; Pargeter et al 2017, 2018). Figure 4 contrasts the KDE models of all dates for each region, highlighting large differences between the regions in the frequency of reported radiocarbon dates across the Late Pleistocene and Holocene.…”