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- Ochre use at Olieboomspoort, South Africa: insights into specular hematite use and collection during the Middle Stone AgePublication . Culey, J.; Hodgskiss, T.; Wurz, S.; de la Peña, P.; Val, AuroreRecent excavations at Olieboomspoort (OBP) in the Waterberg Mountains of South Africa confirmed previous research at the site that highlighted an abundance of ochre in the Middle Stone Age (MSA) deposits. Here, we report on the results of an analysis of the ochre from the MSA deposits excavated in 2018-2019. Fossilised equid teeth from these deposits were recently dated to approximately 150 ka, an early date for such a sizeable ochre assemblage in southern Africa. Calcium carbonate concretions were removed from ochre pieces using hydrochloric acid. Macro- and microscopic analyses were undertaken to identify raw material types and to investigate utilisation strategies. There are 438 pieces in the assemblage and only 14 of them show definite use-traces. The predominant raw material is a micaceous, hard specular hematite, which is rare at MSA sites elsewhere in southern Africa. A preliminary investigation into the geological nature of the ochreous materials in the archaeological sample and those available in the area was performed using semi-quantitative portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF), XRF, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Together with site formation processes, we suggest possible, primarily local sources of the ochre found in the deposits. The data do not support previous suggestions that OBP was used as an ochre caching site that may have formed part of an exchange network during the MSA. Instead, the local abundance of nodules of specular hematite within the Waterberg sandstone, the limited number of used pieces in the assemblage, and the stratigraphic context indicate a more natural, less anthropogenic explanation for the abundance of ochre at the site.
- Behind the waterfall - interdisciplinary results from holley shelter and their implications for understanding human behavioral patterns at the end of the middle stone age in Southern AfricaPublication . Bader, Gregor D.; Val, Aurore; Edwin Gevers; Rhodes, Sara E.; Stahl, Nina; Woodborne, Stephan; Will, ManuelHolley Shelter is a Middle (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA) site in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The rock shelter is located at the intersection of three ecosystems, in a strip of the Savanna Biome between the Grassland and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt Biomes. Initial excavations in the 1950s by Gordon Cramb yielded large amounts of unifacial points and splintered pieces, as well as organic remains associated with MSA occupations. Our comparative techno-typological evaluation of this material in 2015 suggested the occupations may date to early MIS 3. We then initiated new excavations at the site using modern field methods and controlled sampling for lithic and organic material. Following the initial round of interdisciplinary analysis, we herein report the first absolute ages for Holley Shelter, a detailed technological analysis of new lithic material from the uppermost MSA layers at the site, and a preliminary study of the associated faunal remains. A set of 12 C-14 dates place these occupations within a constricted chronological period dated to similar to 36,000-34,000 cal. BP that overlaps with the so-called 'final MSA'. The hornfels-dominated lithic assemblages are characterized by diverse core technologies oriented toward the production of laminar products, which include bladelets and abundant splintered pieces. The zooarchaeological analysis documents an emphasis on open grasslands that provided the bulk of the animal prey exploited by the inhabitants of the shelter, with a preference for medium-sized antelopes. Three bone retouchers, a rare occurrence in southern African MSA contexts, were identified in the faunal assemblage. The archaeological deposits at Holley Shelter reflect short-term, potentially seasonal, and specialized occupations that could be influenced by its ecological position. The archaeological material exhibits marked discrepancies with other well-dated final MSA assemblages such as those from Sibhudu, Umbeli Belli, Sibebe and Border Cave. This illustrates considerable variability and a complex spatio-temporal patterning of behavioral adaptations and cultural traditions at the end of the MSA in southern Africa.