The Archaeology of Central Africa

Marine fish exploitation during the Middle and Later Stone Age of South Africa

“…Bones and coprolites of brown hyaena, Hyaena brunnea, have been found at Klasies River main site (Deacon 2001a;Klein 1975), but not at Blombos Cave (Henshilwood et al 2001b). Hyaena brunnea is primarily a scavenger and will take dead fish, as seen in scats from Namibia (Kuhn et al 2008).…”

“…Klasies River (KR) main site is a complex of caverns and overhangs located at face. The deposits were undercut by water action during a higher sea stand around 6000 years ago, when between two thirds and three quarters of the material was removed (Deacon 2001a;Wurz 2000). The majority of the deposit dates to the MSA with a thin capping of Holocene material in some areas.…”

“…The definition of what constitutes modern human behaviour varies between researchers (Chase and Dibble 1990;Deacon 1998;Foley and M. 1997;Marean 2003, 2006;McBrearty and Brooks 2000;Renfrew 1996). Early models were based on differences in material culture and resource exploitation before and after the ago, and 'trait' lists were compiled by which modern behaviour could be identified (Ambrose 1998;Ambrose and Lorenz 1990;Bar-Yosef 1998;Chase and Dibble 1987;Lindly 1989, 1991;Klein 1992Klein , 1995Klein , 1999bKlein , 2000Mellars 1989;Mellars 1991;Mellars 1996).…”

“…The appropriateness of using eurocentrically derived models and 'trait lists' to indicate the presence or absence of behavioural modernity in the African MSA has been criticized by many authors, as it does not take the vast size and different climatic zones of the African continent compared to Europe into account, which would stimulate diverse responses depending on the context (Chase and Dibble 1990;Deacon 1998Deacon , 2001bHenshilwood et al 2001a;Marean 2003, 2006;McBrearty and Brooks 2000;Mellars 2005;Renfrew 1996). Despite the unsuitability of expecting some of the traits that characterise the UP, where Homo sapiens were considered to be fully modern, on the African continent, some are still considered useful to identify modernity in MSA Deacon and Wurz 2002;Henshilwood 2004;Henshilwood and d'Errico 2003;Henshilwood et al 2002;Marean 2003, 2006;Lombard and Phillipson 2010;Marean and Assefa 2005;McBrearty 1990;McBrearty and Brooks 2000;Mellars 2005Mellars , 2006Minichillo 2005;Parkington et al 2005;Stringer 2002Stringer , 2003Texier et al 2010;Wadley et al 2009;Wurz 1997Wurz , 1999Wurz , 2008.…”

“…The ability to fish is one of the features on the UP-derived trait list for identifying modern human behaviour. Others have argued that fishing (and fowling) is an economic activity that does not signify cognitive abilities or require intellect, but forms part of subsistence choices related to cost and effort, and the increased effort to catch fish made them less appealing than, for example, easily available shellfish (Deacon 1989(Deacon , 2001aMarean 2003, 2006;Wurz 2000). It follows then that the evidence for fishing at Klasies River and Blombos Cave can either be interpreted, depending on which model is preferred, as evidence that MSA people were cognitively more advanced than previously thought, as they apparently did possess the technological skills to catch fish, or that in certain instances MSA people were prepared to invest in more labour-intensive activities to acquire fish.…”