Varsche Rivier 003, South Africa

Teresa E. Steele, Alex Mackay, Alex Blackwood, Susan E. Lagle, Naomi L. Martisius, Patricia J. McNeill, Jayson Orton, Mareike C. Stahlschmidt

Publications: Contribution to bookChapterPeer Reviewed

Abstract

Varsche Rivier 003 (VR003) is located in the Knersvlakte region of southern Namaqualand, South Africa, an arid region characterized by low, undulating hills coated with quartz gravels and distinctive dwarf succulents. VR003 preserves an extended sequence of Middle Stone Age materials, which provides a view of early human adaptations to marginal environments in a previously undocumented region and allows us to reconstruct how ancient environments may have changed through time and differed from today. The sequence includes lithics primarily from the pre-Still Bay/early MSA and Howiesons Poort, but also occurrences of Still Bay and post-Howiesons Poort/late MSA (capped by late-Holocene LSA). These assemblages are found in association with pigments and faunal remains, including vertebrates, ostrich eggshells (OES), land snails, and occasional marine shells. Our results allow us to examine human behavioral and ecological variation (especially by environment) within well-reconstructed phenomena such as the Howiesons Poort. VR003 potentially also allows unique examinations of innovations, such as OES flasks and heat treatment of silcrete within the less well-resolved early MSA.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHandbook of Pleistocene Archaeology of Africa
Subtitle of host publicationHominin behavior, geography, and chronology
EditorsA. Beyin, D.K. Wright, J. Wilkins, D.I. Olszewski
PublisherSpringer
Pages1721-1736
Number of pages16
ISBN (Electronic)9783031202902
ISBN (Print)9783031202896
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Aug 2023

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 601003 Archaeology

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