Excavations at Cave 13B, Pinnacle Point at Mossel Bay, South Africa: Faunal Exploitation, Raw Material Procurement, and Organization of Domestic Space During the Middle Stone Age

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Curtis Marean conducted exploratory archaeological investigations in July of 2000 of three caves near Mossel Bay in the Western Cape province of South Africa. That project was funded by the high risk exploratory grants provided by the Archaeology Program. The goal of those investigations was to evaluate the suitability of several caves for more intensive excavations. Two of those caves proved to have very well preserved archaeological sediments dating to the Middle Stone Age, with excellent fossil bone preservation. Two hominid fossils were found, suggesting that further investigations could yield more and contribute to a currently small sample. Furthermore, features such as hearths are well preserved, and ochre pencils were found, suggesting that the occupants had been involved in symbolic activities. Based on those results, Dr. Marean will conduct with National Science Foundation support more intensive excavations at one of those caves, named Cave 13B. This study is part of a wide ranging international and interdisciplinary research effort that seeks to understand the cultural transition from "archaic" to "modern" human behavior. This research effort, focusing on the interval of time between about 250,000 and 30,000 years ago, involves scholars working primarily in Eurasia and Africa. To date the evidence has been dominated by that from Europe, where scientists have been working intensively for the last 100 years. The results of that research have led many scientists to argue that those aspects of modern human culture that we associate with modern people appear first shortly after 40,000 years ago. These indicators of modernity include such things as symboling behavior as suggested by the presence of artistic expression and religion, and complex social structures such as trade networks as indicated by the presence of raw materials from distant sources. Recently, new results from the poorly sampled African continent, particularly in coastal South Africa, suggest that these indicators of modernity may have appeared earlier there than in Eurasia, and that this once-secure Rubicon at 40,000 years ago may be an artifact of an empirical record weak in African evidence. This project seeks to expand the African record for this crucial transition. The excavations at Mossel Bay should help provide a more secure understanding of the timing of these events in Africa. The analysis of the excavated materials will focus on geochemical analyses of raw materials to investigate trade networks, spatial analysis of the artifacts and faunal remains relative to hearth placement to investigate the organization of social activities, and faunal remains to understand the sophistication of hunting behavior.