Sehonghong (GAP)
Basic information
Sample name: Sehonghong (GAP)
Reference: I. Plug and P. Mitchell. 2008. Sehonghong: hunter-gatherer utilization of animal resources in the highlands of Lesotho. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 45:31-53 [ER 3742]
Geography
Country: Lesotho
State: Thaba-Tseka
Coordinate: 29° 46' S, 28° 47' E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Holocene
Section: 3742
Unit number: 1
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.00171
Min Ma: 0.00124
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "Sehonghong is a large rock-shelter on the banks of the Sehonghong River, close to its confluence with the Senqu (Orange/Gariep) in the Thaba Tseka District of the highlands of Lesotho. The site lies at an elevation of 1800 m above sea level".
"Layer GAP is bracketed by radiocarbon dates of 1710 ± 20 BP at its base and 1240 ± 50 BP at its top".
"Layer GAP is bracketed by radiocarbon dates of 1710 ± 20 BP at its base and 1240 ± 50 BP at its top".
Environment
Lithology: ash
Taphonomic context: human accumulation,rock shelter
Archaeology: ceramics,hearths,stone tools,other structures
Habitat comments: "The GAP (Grey Ash with Pottery) layer is a soft, loose, light grey, charcoal-rich ashy layer". It marks the beginning of the period where the site was occupied by makers of a Ceramic Wilton lithic industry. "Identifiable features included a hearth and two pits, both 150 mm deep and densely packed with bone and potsherds".
"While not all of the animal remains in the deposit would have been accumulated by people, the intense degree of fragmentation and burning that characterizes the Sehonghong assemblages strongly suggests that people were responsible for acquiring almost all of the faunal remains".
"While not all of the animal remains in the deposit would have been accumulated by people, the intense degree of fragmentation and burning that characterizes the Sehonghong assemblages strongly suggests that people were responsible for acquiring almost all of the faunal remains".
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds,lizards,frogs,fishes,crustaceans,clams,snails
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 1668 specimens
Sampled by: P. Mitchell
Years: 1992
Sampling comments: "The primary excavation of the site was conducted by P. Mitchell in 1992. All sediment removed from the deposits was dry-sieved through a 1.5 mm mesh".
For GAP, "19 buckets of deposit were removed and the layer was excavated in a total of 10 units".
For GAP, "19 buckets of deposit were removed and the layer was excavated in a total of 10 units".
Metadata
Sample number: 3979
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-08-25 12:07:46
Modified: 2023-05-30 01:41:23
Abundance distribution
30 species
10 singletons
total count 1668
geometric series index: 56.1
Fisher's α: 5.195
geometric series k: 0.7806
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.3686
Shannon's H: 0.9876
Good's u: 0.9940
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
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Ictonyx striatus | 4 | 753 g invertivore-carnivore |
Herpestidae indet. | 1 | |
"Mongoose" | ||
Felis sp. | 2 | |
Equus africanus asinus | 1 | 287 kg |
"Equus asinus" | ||
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Bos taurus | 1 | 337 kg |
Connochaetes gnou | 1 | grazer |
Alcelaphus buselaphus | 3 | 143 kg grazer-browser |
Sylvicapra grimmia | 1 | 13 kg browser-grazer |
Oreotragus oreotragus | 4 | browser-grazer |
Raphicerus campestris | 4 | 9.7 kg browser-grazer |
Pelea capreolus | 13 | 16 kg grazer |
Hippotragus equinus | 1 | 246 kg grazer |
Taurotragus oryx | 13 | 393 kg browser-grazer |
"Tragelaphus oryx" | ||
Redunca fulvorufula | 2 | 29 kg |
also 55 Bovidae indet. | ||
Pedetes capensis | 1 | 2.4 kg |
Hystrix africaeaustralis | 1 | 15 kg browser |
Otomys sp. | 9 | |
also 6 Rodentia indet. | ||
Lepus saxatilis | 1 | 2.0 kg |
also 4 Lepus sp. and 3 Lagomorpha indet. | ||
Aves indet. | 2 | |
Lacertilia indet. | 2 | |
also 7 Reptilia indet. | ||
Anura indet. | 10 | |
"Frog/toad" | ||
Potamonautes sp. | 1 | |
Achatina sp. | 5 | |
Unionidae indet. | 19 | |
Labeobarbus kimberleyensis | 12 | |
Labeobarbus aeneus | 1316 | |
Labeo capensis | 70 | |
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