The Ysterfontein 1 Middle Stone Age site, South Africa, and early human exploitation of coastal resources

Abstract

Human fossils and the genetics of extant human populations indicate that living people derive primarily from an African population that lived within the last 200,000 years. Yet it was only Ϸ50,000 years ago that the descendants of this population spread to Eurasia, where they swamped or replaced the Neanderthals and other nonmodern Eurasians. Based on archaeological observations, the most plausible hypothesis for the delay is that Africans and Eurasians were behaviorally similar until 50,000 years ago, and it was only at this time that Africans developed a behavioral advantage. The archaeological findings come primarily from South Africa, where they suggest that the advantage involved much more effective use of coastal resources. Until now, the evidence has come mostly from deeply stratified caves on the south (Indian Ocean) coast. Here, we summarize results from recent excavations at Ysterfontein 1, a deeply stratified shelter in a contrasting environment on the west (Atlantic) coast. The Ysterfontein 1 samples of human food debris must be enlarged for a full comparison to samples from other relevant sites, but they already corroborate two inferences drawn from south coast sites: (i) coastal foragers before 50,000 years ago did not fish routinely, probably for lack of appropriate technology, and (ii) they collected tortoises and shellfish less intensively than later people, probably because their populations were smaller.

The Red Sea, Coastal Landscapes, and Hominin Dispersals

“…Much has also been made of the appearance of shells and other marine indicators in South African coastal sites located on or close to the present-day shoreline with deposits dating to MIS Stage 5 (see Figure 4), notably at the caves of Die Kelders, Klasies River Mouth and Blombos Cave, and at the open air sites of Sea Harvest and Hoedjies Punt (Avery et al, 1997;Henshilwood et al, 2001;Henshilwood and Marean, 2003;Klein et al, 2004). These date between about 130 kya and 75 kya and contain variable quantities of marine shells, mostly rocky shore species of limpets and mussels, often forming layers of quite dense shell midden, and bones of seals, penguins, and fish.…”

Animal Exploitation and Behaviour of the Latest Middle Stone Age Societies in the Middle Nile Valley: Archaeozoological and Taphonomic Analysis of Late Pleistocene Fauna from the Affad Basin, Sudan

“…With its body size larger than that of the kobus, the buffalo is a dangerous animal, hence the choice of the former as the Bfirst rankŝ pecies seems to be fully rational. This is another factor pointing to a typical MSA hunting model based on the work of individual hunters or small groups (Dusseldorp 2010;Klein et al 1991Klein et al , 2004Steele and Klein 2009;Stiner and Munro 2002;Weaver et al 2011). Also, we noted no evidence of gathering (and consuming) ostrich eggs nor molluscs, contrary to most early Holocene assemblages (Gautier 1983;Peters 1989b).…”

Putslaagte 1 (PL1), the Doring River, and the later Middle Stone Age in southern Africa's Winter Rainfall Zone

“…Many of the most imposing archives in this area -including Klasies River, Nelson Bay Cave, Pinnacle Point, Blombos Cave, Diepkloof and Elands Bay Cave -appear to have been largely unused in the period 50-25 ka (Brown et al, 2012;Deacon, 1995;Deacon and Thackeray, 1984;Faith, 2013;Jacobs, 2010;Mackay, 2010;Mitchell, 2008), despite rich earlier periods of occupation and in some cases, reoccupation after 25 ka (Deacon, 1978;Orton, 2006;Parkington, 1980). This has led some researchers to suggest that southern Africa was largely depopulated in the period leading up to the MSA/LSA transition (Klein et al, 2004).…”

“…Whereas MIS 4 and MIS 2 are characterised by dense artefact assemblages in well-defined industries distributed across numerous sites (e.g., Brown et al, 2012;Deacon, 1984;Mitchell, 1988;Porraz et al, 2013;Soriano et al, 2007;Villa et al, 2010;Volman, 1980;Wadley, 1993;Wadley, 2007), the archaeology of MIS 3, particularly after 50 ka appears comparatively quiet and less well resolved (Ambrose, 2002;Klein et al, 2004;Mitchell, 2008). This is most clearly the case in the south western portion of South Africa, in the Winter and Year-Round Rainfall regions (WRZ/YRZ) which both receive significant winter rainfall input from the seasonal north-ward migration of westerly winds (Chase and Meadows, 2007) (Figure 1).…”