On a timescale for the past million years of human history in central South Africa
Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: Located between Danielskuil and Kuruman in the Northern Cape province of South Africa is Wonderwerk Cave, where excavations
from 1978 to 1996 revealed a ~6-m depth of deposits made up of
nine Major Units (MUs), of which some have been dated by radiocarbon,
the U-series method and palaeomagnetism. The lithic
succession in those sediments was found to be Later Stone Age in
MU1 at 1.0-12.5 kyr ago, Middle Stone Age in MU2 at ~70 to
>220 kyr ago, Fauresmith in MUs 3-4 at ~270-c. 500 kyr ago, and
very sparse biface assemblages before then to >0.78 Myr BP. Associated
behaviours are represented by collected exotic river pebbles
and quartz crystals in MUs 2-4, incised lines on portable stones in
MUs 1-4, a grass bedding area in MU4, red pigment pieces in
MUs 1-7, and traces of the use of fire in MUs 1-9. These findings, as
a whole, are taken to support a scenario that sees the upland savannas
at the southern end of Africa as a focal region of biocultural evolution
over a period extending back to before the onset of the Middle
Pleistocene.
Source: South African Journal of Science
Authors: Peter Beaumont, J. C. Vogel
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W2337859008