Umbeli Belli Rock Shelter, a forgotten piece from the puzzle of the Middle Stone Age in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Bader, Gregor D.; Cable, Charles; Lentfer, Carol; Conard, Nicholas J.

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.08.038

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Some of these are hollow-based points, and similar artifacts have been recovered at Sibudu (Mohapi 2012). The artifacts in the youngest MSA deposits at nearby Umbeli Belli yielded abundant bifacial points (Bader et al 2016(Bader et al , 2018. In contrast, we did not recover bifacial points in the uppermost MSA deposits.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 79%

“…Its occupation commenced earlier than that at Umhlatuzana, but Sibudu lacks deposits from the MSA-LSA transition and the subsequent LSA (Wadley and Jacobs 2006). Another important site, Umbeli Belli, has so far yielded archaeological remains from the later parts of the MSA and the Pleistocene LSA (Bader et al 2016(Bader et al , 2018. Border Cave has an important MSA occupation sequence and has yielded the earliest ages for the MSA/LSA transition (d 'Errico et al 2012;Villa et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New Excavations at Umhlatuzana Rockshelter, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a Stratigraphic and Taphonomic Evaluation

et al. 2020

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Umhlatuzana rockshelter has an occupation sequence spanning the last 70,000 years. It is one of the few sites with deposits covering the Middle to Later Stone Age transition (~40,000–30,000 years BP) in southern Africa. Comprehending the site’s depositional history and occupation sequence is thus important for the broader understanding of the development of Homo sapiens’ behavior. The rockshelter was first excavated in the 1980s by Jonathan Kaplan. He suggested that the integrity of the late Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age sediments was compromised by large-scale sediment movement. In 2018, we initiated a high-resolution geoarchaeological study of the site to clarify the site formation processes. Here, we present the results of the excavation and propose a revised stratigraphic division of the Pleistocene sequence based on field observations, sedimentological (particle size) analyses, and cluster analysis. The taphonomy of the site is assessed through phytolith and geochemical (pH, loss on ignition, stable carbon isotope) analyses. The results indicate a consistent sedimentological environment characterized by in situ weathering. The analysis of the piece-plotted finds demonstrates semihorizontal layering of archaeologically dense zones and more sterile ones. There was no indication of large-scale postdepositional sediment movement. We show that the low-density archaeological horizons in the upper part of the Pleistocene sequence are best explained by the changing patterns of sedimentation rate.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Excavations at Umhlatuzana Rockshelter, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a Stratigraphic and Taphonomic Evaluation

et al. 2020

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“…At another site in the Indian Ocean Biome, Umbeli Belli, broad and narrow points have been distinguished on morphological grounds with possible functional differences implied [ 119 ]. A point form restricted to the final MSA of eastern South Africa is the hollow-based point, which occurs in small numbers at Sibudu [ 95 , 120 ], Umhlatuzana [ 121 , 122 ], Umbeli Belli [ 119 , 123 ], and single instances at Border Cave [ 124 ] and Kleinmonde [ 125 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nubian Levallois reduction strategies in the Tankwa Karoo, South Africa

Hallinan

Shaw

2020

PLoS ONE

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The Middle Stone Age record in southern Africa is recognising increasing diversity in lithic technologies as research expands beyond the coastal-montane zone. New research in the arid Tankwa Karoo region of the South African interior has revealed a rich surface artefact record including a novel method of point production, recognised as Nubian Levallois technology in Late Pleistocene North Africa, Arabia and the Levant. We analyse 121 Nubian cores and associated points from the surface site Tweefontein against the strict criteria which are used to define Nubian technology elsewhere. The co-occurrence of typically post-Howiesons Poort unifacial points suggests an MIS 3 age. We propose that the occurrence of this distinctive technology at numerous localities in the Tankwa Karoo region reflects an environment-specific adaptation in line with technological regionalisation seen more widely in MIS 3. The arid setting of these assemblages in the Tankwa Karoo compares with the desert context of Nubian technology globally, consistent with convergent evolution in our case. The South African evidence contributes an alternative perspective on Nubian technology removed from the ‘dispersal’ or ‘diffusion’ scenarios of the debate surrounding its origin and spread within and out of Africa.

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“…24.9 and ca. 17.8 ka (Bader et al, 2016). Only at Umhlatuzana (Kaplan, 1990) and Shongweni (Vogel et al, 1986), both ∼30 km inland of Durban, is occupation evident just prior to the LGM.…”

Section: Linking the Coast To The Hinterlandmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2020

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Waterfall Bluff is a rock shelter in eastern Pondoland, South Africa, adjacent to a narrow continental shelf that limited coastline movements across glacial/interglacial cycles. The archaeological deposits are characterized by well-preserved stratigraphy, faunal, and botanical remains alongside abundant stone artifacts and other materials. A comprehensive dating protocol consisting of 5 optically stimulated luminescence ages and 51 accelerator mass spectrometry 14C ages shows that the record of hunter-gatherer occupations at Waterfall Bluff persisted from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene, spanning the last glacial maximum and the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene. Here, we provide detailed descriptions about the sedimentary sequence, chronology, and characteristics of the archaeological deposits at Waterfall Bluff. Remains of marine mollusks and marine fish also show, for the first time, that coastal foraging was a component of some hunter-gatherer groups’ subsistence practices during glacial phases in the late Pleistocene. The presence of marine fish and shellfish further demonstrates that hunter-gatherers selectively targeted coastal resources from intertidal and estuarine habitats. Our results therefore underscore the idea that Pondoland's coastline remained a stable and predictable point on the landscape over the last glacial/interglacial transition being well positioned for hunter-gatherers to access resources from the nearby coastline, narrow continental shelf, and inland areas.

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Umbeli Belli Rock Shelter, a forgotten piece from the puzzle of the Middle Stone Age in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Cited by 12 publications

References 67 publications

New Excavations at Umhlatuzana Rockshelter, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a Stratigraphic and Taphonomic Evaluation

New Excavations at Umhlatuzana Rockshelter, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: a Stratigraphic and Taphonomic Evaluation

Nubian Levallois reduction strategies in the Tankwa Karoo, South Africa

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

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