Earlier Stone Age (Archaeology)

Reynolds, S. C., Vogel, Clarke, R. J. and Kuman, K. A. (2003). Preliminary Results of Excavations at Lincoln Cave, Sterkfontein. South African Journal of Science Volume 99: 286-288.

by Sally Reynolds

Recent excavations of undisturbed deposits within the Lincoln Cave, Sterkfontein, have conclusively demonstrated that... more Recent excavations of undisturbed deposits within the Lincoln Cave, Sterkfontein, have conclusively demonstrated that at least one of the deposits is mid- to late Pleistocene in age. The artefacts recovered from this excavation are in a datable context,
sandwiched between two flowstone layers which could be dated using uranium series methods. The excavation furthermore yielded good indications that a portion of an older breccia has been eroded and that fauna and artefacts from this older, reworked breccia have been redeposited within the younger deposit. These findings suggest that the Lincoln Cave system may be connected to the Sterkfontein Cave system and that the location of the possible link lies in the vicinity of grid square L/63 in the main Sterkfontein excavation.

Reynolds, S.C. and Kibii, J.M. (2011). Sterkfontein at 75: review of paleoenvironments, fauna and archaeology from the hominin site of Sterkfontein (Gauteng Province, South Africa). Palaeontologia africana 46: 59-88.

by Sally Reynolds

Seventy-five years after Robert Broom’s discovery of the first adult Australopithecus in 1936, the Sterkfontein Caves... more Seventy-five years after Robert Broom’s discovery of the first adult Australopithecus in 1936, the Sterkfontein Caves (Gauteng Province, South Africa) remains one of the richest and most informative fossil hominin sites in the world. The deposits record hominin and African mammal evolution from roughly 2.6 million years (Ma) until the Upper Pleistocene. Earlier excavation efforts focused on the Member 4 australopithecine-bearing breccia and the Member 5 stone tool-bearing breccias of Oldowan and Early Acheulean age. Ronald J. Clarke’s 1997 programme of understanding the cave deposits as a whole led to the discovery of the near-complete StW 573 Australopithecus skeleton in the Member 2 deposit of the Silberberg Grotto, and the exploration of lesser known deposits such as the Jacovec Cavern, Name Chamber and the Lincoln Cave. Our aim is to produce a cogent synthesis of the environments, palaeodietary information, fauna and stone artefacts as recorded in the Sterkfontein sequence. We begin with an overview of the site and early accounts of the interpretations of the site-formation processes, after which we discuss each Member in turn and summarize the various types of evidence published so far. Finally, we review the most pertinent debates about the site, including the ages of Sterkfontein Member 2 and 4, and the types of habitats represented at the site through time.

ZUR ENTWICKLUNG FRÜHMESOLITHISCHER ARTEFAKTPRODUKTION: HANDWERKLICHE TRADITION UND LANDSCHAFTSNUTZUNG AM DUVENSEE ( …

by Daniela Holst

published in "Archäologisches Korrrespondenzblatt 2008

The Study of the Fauresmith: A Review

by David Underhill

South African Archaeological Bulletin 66 (193): 15–26, 2011

The Fauresmith is an enigmatic South African stone tool industry, or culture, which many believe to be transitional... more The Fauresmith is an enigmatic South African stone tool industry, or culture, which many believe to be transitional between the Earlier and Middle Stone Ages. However, there is no consensus on its content or in fact, universal agreement on its existence. Over the past few years, absolute dating has been undertaken on sediments containing material labelled as Fauresmith. This has challenged its transitional status, but also exacerbated its use as a chrono-temporal marker. This is further complicating an already confused issue. Attempts at clarifying the Fauresmith are still ongoing, and offered here is an
historical overview of its study since its first discovery. Presented is a review of the original classification proposed by Goodwin and Van Riet Lowe, its changing interpretation during the development of archaeology within South Africa, and the eventual abandonment of the termdue to its misuse. Attention shall then turn to the more recent resurrection of the term and the added levels of confusion that have arisen since this time. This review of the study of the Fauresmith can offer explanations as to how we have arrived at the present state of confusion, allowing us to move towards a firmer understanding of the Fauresmith and its place within the archaeology of South Africa.

A History of Stone Age Archaeological Study in South Africa

by David Underhill

Published in: South African Archaeological Bulletin 66 (193): 3–14

The development of Stone Age archaeology in South Africa has a long and chequered history. It is now over 80 years... more The development of Stone Age archaeology in South Africa has a long and chequered history. It is now over 80 years since the discipline was placed on a firm, international, scientific footing. Since then, several histories of its development have been produced, although most of these focus on the country’s rich ethnography, with few discussing the development of Stone Age archaeology in any detail. However, throughout its early history, the study of the Stone Age in South Africa was tied to international developments in archaeology and strong links existed withmanyof the world’s leading authorities. Unfortunately,
social and political developments in South Africa stunted the discipline’s growth, leaving it for many years in a formof limbo from which, I argue, it has still not fully recovered. What I present here is a review that largely follows an historical narrative of the development of Stone Age studies in the country, in which I highlight some shortcomings. Major issues discussed are a lack of accepted typological or terminological understandings of the evidence as well as the influence of individual workers’ own intuitive knowledge. It is hoped that realising the origins of these problems will aid in developing a comprehension of them. In
turn it is hoped that, just as the country’s Stone Age Archaeology is re-emerging onto the international scene, this shall allow fruitful discussions on terminology to re-emerge and the country’s vast wealth of material may begin to be understood in relation to the rest of the world, and in many cases in relation to other material within South Africa itself.

Subjectivity inherent in by-eye symmetry judgements and the large cutting tools at the Cave of Hearths, Limpopo Province, South Africa

by David Underhill

Published Papers from the Institute of Archaeology, 2007

The Stone Age of South Africa is an area of study due for a renaissance, and there is a real need for unification of... more The Stone Age of South Africa is an area of study due for a renaissance, and there is a real need for unification of the extant evidence. As a beginning to this, new methodologies have been proposed. This paper tackles the issue of symmetry, specifically the subjectivity involved in by-eye judgements. Assumptions of subjectivity, however, are not proof: presented here is a critical analysis of the inherent bias of by-eye symmetry judgements. Ultimately it is clear that the method contains a level of subjectivity which strips it of any analytical value. The by-eye judgement of symmetry is replaced by the more robust Flip Test computer program, and a brief study is made of the Large Cutting Tools (LCT) at a vitally important, yet often overlooked, site dating from the Pleistocene in South Africa, the Cave of Hearths, Limpopo province. The corollary is that the symmetry present in the Cave of Hearths Large Cutting Tools can be studied with some measure of confidence: suggestions are made regarding the nature of tool typologies and the knappers’ ultimate focus on tip shape and utility.

Overview and Broader Significance of the ESA and MSA at the Cave of Hearths

by David Underhill

Co-authored with McNabb and Sinclair, In McNabb, J. and Sinclair, A. The Cave of Hearths: Makapan Middle Pleistocene Research Project: Field Research by Anthony Sinclair and Patrick Quinney, 1996-2001. Oxford: Archaeopress; University of Southampton Series in Archaeology (1)

The Lithic Design Space Model and hominin cognition: Epistemological issues.

by Mark Moore

eLetter reply to Stout 2011

'Grammars of action' and stone flaking design space

by Mark Moore

published in Stone Tools and the Evolution of Human Cognition, edited by April Nowell and Iain Davidson, 2010

Lithic design space modelling and cognition in Homo floresiensis

by Mark Moore

published in Mental States, Volume 1: Evolution, function, nature, edited by Andrea C. Schalley and Drew Khlentzos, 2007

Archaeology and age of a new hominin from Flores in eastern Indonesia

by Mark Moore

published in Nature, 2004; coauthored with M. Morwood, R. Soejono, R. Roberts, T. Sutikna, C. Turney, K. Westaway, W. Rink, J.-x. Zhao, G. D. van den Bergh, R. Due, D. Hobbs, M. Bird, and L. Fifield

Early stone technology on Flores and its implications for Homo floresiensis

by Mark Moore

published in Nature, 2006; coauthored with A. Brumm, F. Aziz, G. van den Bergh, M. Morwood, I. Kurniawan, D. Hobbs, and R. Fullagar

Stone artifacts and hominins in island Southeast Asia: new insights from Flores, eastern Indonesia

by Mark Moore

published in Journal of Human Evolution, 2007; co-authored with A. Brumm

Homo floresiensis and the African Oldowan

by Mark Moore

published in Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Oldowan, edited by E. Hovers and D. Braun, 2008; co-authored with A. Brumm

Early Pleistocene stone technology at Mata Menge, central Flores, Indonesia

by Mark Moore

published in Pleistocene Geology, Palaeontology and Archaeology of the Soa Basin, Central Flores, Indonesia, edited by F. Aziz, M. Morwood, and G. van den Bergh; co-authored with A. Brumm, I. Kurniawan, Suyono, R. Setiawan, Jatmiko, M. Morwood, and F. Aziz

The toolmakers of Flores

by Mark Moore

published in Australasian Science, 2009

Continuities in stone flaking technology at Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia

by Mark Moore

published in Journal of Human Evolution, 2009; co-authored with T. Sutikna, Jatmiko, M. Morwood, and A. Brumm