A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy. 2016 / The analysis of faunal remains from archaeological sites can reveal much about past
behaviour, palaeoenvironments and bone technology. This is especially pertinent for the
Middle Stone Age (MSA): a period that corresponds to both the behavioural and anatomical
development of Homo sapiens. In this thesis, I examine the faunal remains from Blombos
Cave (BBC) and Klipdrift Shelter (KDS), two significant MSA sites about 45 km apart along
the present-day southern Cape coast. The focus of the analyses is on the Still Bay (SB) layers
(c. 75 – 68 thousand years ago [ka]) at BBC and the Howiesons Poort (HP) layers (c. 65 – 59
ka) at KDS. The aim of this thesis is to explore subsistence behaviour and environmental
conditions during the SB and HP in the fynbos region of the southern Cape. I also investigate
the effects of trampling on bone and whether trampling and other types of taphonomic
modification can be used to infer occupational intensity in cave and rock shelter sites.
Taphonomic data indicate that significant differences exist between the SB and HP faunal
assemblages at BBC and KDS, respectively. Carnivores and scavengers had a greater effect
on the SB than on the KDS assemblage. Furthermore, subsistence activities at KDS focused
on marrow extraction while filleting was probably an important strategy at BBC. Taxonomic
analyses indicate that the representative fauna from both sites is generally consistent with
what is expected in the fynbos biome but with some noticeable differences. Grazers, for
example, are significantly more prevalent at KDS than BBC while seal is more common at
BBC. Other zooarchaeological data also show differences in prey selection strategies. Diet
breadth is more extensive at KDS than at BBC, although bovid mortality profiles at BBC are
more juvenile-dominated. I propose that many of these contrasting patterns imply that
subsistence intensification is more evident in the HP layers at KDS than in the SB at BBC.
Moreover, the taphonomic data suggest that the SB at BBC was a low-intensity, sporadically
occupied period in contrast to the high-intensity occupations, particularly during the middle
layers of the HP at KDS. The results of the KDS analysis also indicate a shift in
environmental conditions during the HP and show links between prey selection, the
environment and occupational intensity during this period.
Trampling experiments indicate that trampling can generally be distinguished from butcherymarks,
although bioturbation in shelly deposits can sometimes result in marks that mimic cutiii
marks. More importantly, experiments show that pitting and abrasion are a more significant
indicator of trampling than lines that resemble cut-marks. Based on these experiments, I
argue that trampling modification can be used to infer occupational intensity at
archaeological sites. Trampling marks in the KDS assemblage, for example, correspond well
with the high occupational periods as indicated by other taphonomic data. Trampling and
taphonomic data support the notion that BBC was a low-intensity, sporadically occupied site
during the SB. By incorporating taxonomic, taphonomic and novel methods of skeletal-part
analyses, this study contributes to our knowledge of human subsistence and
palaeoenvironments during the SB and HP in the southern Cape. This thesis strengthens and
adds to other research that has demonstrated variability in subsistence behaviour during the
MSA. / LG2017
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/21640 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Reynard, Jerome Peter |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (xi, 246 leaves), application/pdf |
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