Border Cave: A 227,000-year-old archive from the southern African interior
Lucinda Backwell
(1, 2)
,
Lyn Wadley
(2)
,
Francesco d'Errico
(3, 4)
,
William Banks
(3, 5)
,
Paloma de la Peña
(2, 6)
,
Dominic Stratford
(2)
,
Christine Sievers
(2)
,
Ghilraen Laue
(2)
,
Bawinile Vilane
(7)
,
Jamie Clark
(2, 8)
,
Chantal Tribolo
(9)
,
Amélie Beaudet
(2, 10, 11)
,
Tea Jashashvili
(12, 13)
,
Kristian Carlson
(12, 2)
,
Sandra Lennox
(2)
,
Irene Esteban
(14, 15, 2)
,
Guilhem Mauran
(2)
1
ISES -
Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales [Tucumán]
2 WITS - University of the Witwatersrand [Johannesburg]
3 PACEA - De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie
4 SapienCE - SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour
5 KU - University of Kansas [Lawrence]
6 McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
7 Auteur indépendant
8 George Mason University [Fairfax]
9 Archéosciences Bordeaux
10 CAM - University of Cambridge [UK]
11 Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont
12 Keck School of Medicine [Los Angeles]
13 Georgian National Museum
14 UB - Universitat de Barcelona
15 Nelson Mandela University [Port Elizabeth]
2 WITS - University of the Witwatersrand [Johannesburg]
3 PACEA - De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie
4 SapienCE - SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour
5 KU - University of Kansas [Lawrence]
6 McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
7 Auteur indépendant
8 George Mason University [Fairfax]
9 Archéosciences Bordeaux
10 CAM - University of Cambridge [UK]
11 Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont
12 Keck School of Medicine [Los Angeles]
13 Georgian National Museum
14 UB - Universitat de Barcelona
15 Nelson Mandela University [Port Elizabeth]
Lucinda Backwell
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1160074
- ORCID : 0000-0001-5816-3353
- IdRef : 086314734
Francesco d'Errico
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 738812
- IdHAL : francesco-derrico
- ORCID : 0000-0002-2422-3079
- IdRef : 033791899
William Banks
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 174823
- IdHAL : william-banks
- ORCID : 0000-0003-1835-6315
- IdRef : 14547139X
Paloma de la Peña
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1210272
- ORCID : 0000-0001-9731-7001
Dominic Stratford
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1160078
- ORCID : 0000-0001-9790-8848
Christine Sievers
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1189805
- ORCID : 0000-0001-5704-6913
Ghilraen Laue
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1160075
- ORCID : 0000-0002-0710-0878
Jamie Clark
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1160076
- ORCID : 0000-0002-3823-7623
Chantal Tribolo
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 20687
- IdHAL : chantal-tribolo
- ORCID : 0000-0003-0506-2430
- IdRef : 075764628
Amélie Beaudet
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1148123
- ORCID : 0000-0002-9363-5966
Kristian Carlson
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 794111
- ORCID : 0000-0001-5802-9680
Sandra Lennox
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 1189772
- ORCID : 0000-0003-0078-3685
Guilhem Mauran
- Fonction : Auteur
- PersonId : 184822
- IdHAL : guilhem-mauran
- ORCID : 0000-0002-3884-5194
Résumé
In 2015, which marked 35 years since Beaumont had worked at the site, we renewed excavations at Border Cave. Our primary aims were to reassess the stratigraphic context of the sedimentary and cultural sequence, gain insight into site formation processes, make a detailed study of organic remains, identify long term cultural trends, and characterize expressions of complex behaviour and innovation. This contribution serves as an update on activities conducted in 2018 and 2019 and provides an overview of our research findings to date, placing them in the broader context of the Middle Stone Age in southern Africa. New luminescence ages based on feldspar grains in the sedimentary sequence are in broad agreement with the previous chronology established for the site. Geoarchaeology and faunal taphonomy have started to elucidate site formation processes, showing that the members should not be considered as homogeneous units, and that associated formation interpretations established by Beaumont are simplifications that are not representative of the diverse site formation processes active in the shelter. This finding is supported by lithic analysis of the Member 2 WA assemblage that shows differences in technology between artefacts from the top, middle, and lower part of the same member. In addition, the lithic artefacts from the middle and lower part of Member 2 WA show continuities with the lithics from the underlying Members 3 BS and 1 RGBS, which were attributed by Beaumont to a different industry. Grass mats/bedding layers are preserved throughout the sequence, the oldest of which dates to ∼200 ka. The use of ash and leaves with insecticidal properties in the bedding construction reflects complex cognition, as does the cooking of starchy rhizomes that come from layers dated to 170 ka. In addition to a rich mammal fauna found in all of the deposits, the remains of a new individual, a 3–4-year-old child, were recovered from Member 1 BS.LR C that has an ESR date of 42.6 ka.
Domaines
Archéologie et PréhistoireFormat du dépôt | Fichier |
---|---|
Type de dépôt | Article dans une revue |
Titre |
en
Border Cave: A 227,000-year-old archive from the southern African interior
|
Résumé |
en
In 2015, which marked 35 years since Beaumont had worked at the site, we renewed excavations at Border Cave. Our primary aims were to reassess the stratigraphic context of the sedimentary and cultural sequence, gain insight into site formation processes, make a detailed study of organic remains, identify long term cultural trends, and characterize expressions of complex behaviour and innovation. This contribution serves as an update on activities conducted in 2018 and 2019 and provides an overview of our research findings to date, placing them in the broader context of the Middle Stone Age in southern Africa. New luminescence ages based on feldspar grains in the sedimentary sequence are in broad agreement with the previous chronology established for the site. Geoarchaeology and faunal taphonomy have started to elucidate site formation processes, showing that the members should not be considered as homogeneous units, and that associated formation interpretations established by Beaumont are simplifications that are not representative of the diverse site formation processes active in the shelter. This finding is supported by lithic analysis of the Member 2 WA assemblage that shows differences in technology between artefacts from the top, middle, and lower part of the same member. In addition, the lithic artefacts from the middle and lower part of Member 2 WA show continuities with the lithics from the underlying Members 3 BS and 1 RGBS, which were attributed by Beaumont to a different industry. Grass mats/bedding layers are preserved throughout the sequence, the oldest of which dates to ∼200 ka. The use of ash and leaves with insecticidal properties in the bedding construction reflects complex cognition, as does the cooking of starchy rhizomes that come from layers dated to 170 ka. In addition to a rich mammal fauna found in all of the deposits, the remains of a new individual, a 3–4-year-old child, were recovered from Member 1 BS.LR C that has an ESR date of 42.6 ka.
|
Auteur(s) |
Lucinda Backwell
1, 2
, Lyn Wadley
2
, Francesco d'Errico
3, 4
, William Banks
3, 5
, Paloma de la Peña
2, 6
, Dominic Stratford
2
, Christine Sievers
2
, Ghilraen Laue
2
, Bawinile Vilane
7
, Jamie Clark
2, 8
, Chantal Tribolo
9
, Amélie Beaudet
2, 10, 11
, Tea Jashashvili
12, 13
, Kristian Carlson
12, 2
, Sandra Lennox
2
, Irene Esteban
14, 15, 2
, Guilhem Mauran
2
1
ISES -
Instituto Superior de Estudios Sociales [Tucumán]
( 130752 )
- San Lorenzo 429 - San Miguel de Tucumán
- Argentine
2
WITS -
University of the Witwatersrand [Johannesburg]
( 12196 )
- Private Bag 3 2050 WITS Johannesburg, South Africa
- Afrique du Sud
3
PACEA -
De la Préhistoire à l'Actuel : Culture, Environnement et Anthropologie
( 205557 )
- Université de Bordeaux - Bâtiment B8 - CS50023 - Allée Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire - 33615 Pessac Cedex
- France
4
SapienCE -
SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour
( 560105 )
- Øysteinsgate 3
Postboks 7805
5020 Bergen
- Norvège
5
KU -
University of Kansas [Lawrence]
( 87313 )
- 1450 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS 66045
- États-Unis
6
McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
( 212291 )
- University of Cambridge, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge CB2 3ER
- Royaume-Uni
7
Auteur indépendant
( 445889 )
- France
8
George Mason University [Fairfax]
( 452410 )
- 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
- États-Unis
9
Archéosciences Bordeaux
( 1084285 )
- Maison de l'Archéologie, 8 Esplanade des Antilles, Université Bordeaux-Montaigne, F-33607 PESSAC Cedex, France
- France
10
CAM -
University of Cambridge [UK]
( 237843 )
- The Old Schools, Trinity Lane, Cambridge CB2 1TN
- Royaume-Uni
11
Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont
( 473305 )
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, Campus de la UAB. c/ de les columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona
- Espagne
12
Keck School of Medicine [Los Angeles]
( 308698 )
- 1975 Zonal Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90033
- États-Unis
13
Georgian National Museum
( 424849 )
- 3 Rustaveli Avenue, 0105 Tbilisi,
- Géorgie
14
UB -
Universitat de Barcelona
( 3447 )
- Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585, 08007 Barcelona
- Espagne
15
Nelson Mandela University [Port Elizabeth]
( 459835 )
- PO Box 77000
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
Port Elizabeth - Gqeberha
6031
South Africa
- Afrique du Sud
|
Langue du document |
Anglais
|
Nom de la revue |
|
Vulgarisation |
Non
|
Comité de lecture |
Oui
|
Audience |
Internationale
|
Volume |
291
|
Page/Identifiant |
107597
|
Date de publication électronique |
2022-06-29
|
Date de publication |
2022-09-01
|
Domaine(s) |
|
Projet(s) ANR |
|
Projet(s) Européen(s) |
|
Financement |
|
Mots-clés |
en
Middle Stone Age, cave deposit, excavation, organic preservation, behavioural complexity, cultural innovation, modern human remains
|
DOI | 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107597 |
Origine :
Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
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