Blombos Cave (Phase M1)
Basic information
Sample name: Blombos Cave (Phase M1)
Reference: C. S. Henshilwood, J. C. Sealy, R. Yates, K. Cruz-Uribe, P. Goldberg, F. E. Grine, R. G. Klein, C. Poggenpoel, K. van Niekerk, and I. Watts. 2001. Blombos Cave, Southern Cape, South Africa: Preliminary report on the 1992-1999 excavations of the Middle Stone Age levels. Journal of Archaeological Science 28(4):421-448 [ER 3719]
Geography
Country: South Africa
State: Western Cape
Coordinate: 34° 25' S, 21° 13' E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3719
Unit number: 2
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.0746
Min Ma: 0.0725
Age basis: OSL
Geography comments: "Blombos Cave is a limestone cave situated in the Blombosfontein Nature Reserve on the south coast of the Western Cape Province of South Africa, some 100 m from the Indian Ocean and approximately 300 km east of Cape Town".
"The M1 phase has been dated by OSL to between 74.6 ± 3.9 ka and 72.5 ± 4.6 ka".
"The M1 phase has been dated by OSL to between 74.6 ± 3.9 ka and 72.5 ± 4.6 ka".
Environment
Lithology: sandstone
Taphonomic context: cave,human accumulation
Archaeology: bone tools,hearths,stone tools
Habitat comments: "The cave was formed as a result of solution action and wave cutting of a cliff formed of calcified sediments that lies above a basal layer of Table Mountain Sandstone".
The site consists of three major Middle Stone Age layers (Phases M1-M3) beneath a thick, sterile aeolian sand dune layer that separates the Middle Stone Age (MSA) sequence from the recent Late Stone Age (LSA) layers.
"Most of the MSA deposits are finely bedded to laminated, with cm thick bedding. Phase M1 consists of medium brown sands with thin, discontinuous lenses of shell, stone and bone. The deposit is scattered with numerous small basin-shaped ash and carbon hearths of up to 0·5 m diameter".
Various stone stools are present including flakes, cores, retouched pieces, scrapers, and "more than 400 bifacially worked lanceolate points. Two pieces of deliberately engraved ochre with a cross-hatched pattern were recovered from this phase, as well as around 39 shell beads, an engraved bone fragment, and three human teeth".
"The abundance of artefacts strongly implicates humans as the principle bone accumulators".
The site consists of three major Middle Stone Age layers (Phases M1-M3) beneath a thick, sterile aeolian sand dune layer that separates the Middle Stone Age (MSA) sequence from the recent Late Stone Age (LSA) layers.
"Most of the MSA deposits are finely bedded to laminated, with cm thick bedding. Phase M1 consists of medium brown sands with thin, discontinuous lenses of shell, stone and bone. The deposit is scattered with numerous small basin-shaped ash and carbon hearths of up to 0·5 m diameter".
Various stone stools are present including flakes, cores, retouched pieces, scrapers, and "more than 400 bifacially worked lanceolate points. Two pieces of deliberately engraved ochre with a cross-hatched pattern were recovered from this phase, as well as around 39 shell beads, an engraved bone fragment, and three human teeth".
"The abundance of artefacts strongly implicates humans as the principle bone accumulators".
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,marine mammals,other large mammals,other small mammals,fishes
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 932 specimens
Years: 1992 -
Sampling comments: "The first excavation at Blombos Cave was initiated in 1991 and led to the recovery of only the LSA deposits dated at less than 2 ka old. A second excavation was begun in 1992, with excavations of both the LSA and MSA levels continuing in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000" and beyond...
"Within the cave interior, behind the drip line, a surface area of 12·5 m2 of MSA deposits has been excavated (as of 2000); forward of the drip line a test trench of 3 m2 was excavated in 1999. Excavation by brush or trowel followed individual strata or layers".
"Recovered deposits were wet sieved through both 1·5 and 3·0 mm meshes using seawater. Recovered material was later re-washed in freshwater and shade dried".
The register below consists of the identified macromammal remains only (those with a mean adult body weight of at least 0.75 kg). Smaller micromammals are also present (along with several other groups), although raw NISP counts are not provided, not even in the follow-up small mammal dedicated publications.
"Within the cave interior, behind the drip line, a surface area of 12·5 m2 of MSA deposits has been excavated (as of 2000); forward of the drip line a test trench of 3 m2 was excavated in 1999. Excavation by brush or trowel followed individual strata or layers".
"Recovered deposits were wet sieved through both 1·5 and 3·0 mm meshes using seawater. Recovered material was later re-washed in freshwater and shade dried".
The register below consists of the identified macromammal remains only (those with a mean adult body weight of at least 0.75 kg). Smaller micromammals are also present (along with several other groups), although raw NISP counts are not provided, not even in the follow-up small mammal dedicated publications.
Metadata
Sample number: 3943
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-04-02 13:58:56
Modified: 2023-05-30 00:53:27
Abundance distribution
31 species
7 singletons
total count 932
geometric series index: 50.3
Fisher's α: 6.170
geometric series k: 0.8177
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7410
Shannon's H: 1.9109
Good's u: 0.9925
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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