Boomplaas Cave (Member BOL)
Basic information
Sample name: Boomplaas Cave (Member BOL)
Reference: J. T. Faith. 2013. Taphonomic and paleoecological change in the large mammal sequence from Boomplaas Cave, western Cape, South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution 65(6):715-730 [ER 3779]
Geography
Country: South Africa
State: Western Cape
Coordinate: 33° 22' 14" S, 22° 9' 31" E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3779
Unit number: 11
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.056
Min Ma: 0.044
Age basis: other
Geography comments: "Boomplaas Cave is located in the Cango Valley in the foothills of the Swartberg mountain range, north of Oudtshoorn, Eden District Municipality in the Western Cape Province, South Africa".
The BOL member of the deposit has been constrained by dates of 56,000 ± 6000 BP and 44,000 ± 4000 BP.
The BOL member of the deposit has been constrained by dates of 56,000 ± 6000 BP and 44,000 ± 4000 BP.
Environment
Lithology: not described
Taphonomic context: bird accumulation,carnivore accumulation,cave,human accumulation
Archaeology: stone tools
Habitat comments: "Boomplaas Cave contains a stratified sequence of Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Late Stone Age (LSA) deposits spanning the last 65,000 years. People were the primary accumulators of the faunal remains in the LSA assemblages younger than ∼18,000 years ago (CL to BLD). In the LSA and MSA deposits dating from 18,000 to 50,000 years ago (BOL to GWA), a combination of humans, carnivores, and raptors accumulated the faunal remains, while the lowermost units were accumulated by carnivores and raptors".
The lithic assemblage of the BOL and BP Members are made primarily of quartzite and include long flake blades with lateral retouch on the main flake surface.
The lithic assemblage of the BOL and BP Members are made primarily of quartzite and include long flake blades with lateral retouch on the main flake surface.
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 185 specimens
Sampled by: H. J. Deacon
Years: 1974 - 1979
Sampling comments: "Excavations were conducted by H.J. Deacon from 1974 to 1979. In 2009 and 2010, taphonomic and taxonomic data were collected on thousands of previously unsorted specimens, in addition to those previously examined. All MSA and LSA units were examined with the exception of the uppermost pastoralist levels (member DGL)".
Metadata
Sample number: 4092
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2023-02-23 13:39:44
Modified: 2023-05-30 04:56:42
Abundance distribution
16 species
4 singletons
total count 185
geometric series index: 28.3
Fisher's α: 4.203
geometric series k: 0.7356
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.6739
Shannon's H: 1.7012
Good's u: 0.9786
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Lepus capensis | 7 | |
| Bunolagus monticularis | 6 | |
| also 1 Leporidae indet. | ||
| Hystrix africaeaustralis | 4 | 15 kg browser |
| Papio ursinus | 16 | 20 kg |
| Hyaenidae indet. | 2 | |
| Panthera pardus | 2 | 33 kg carnivore |
| Procavia capensis | 100 | 2.8 kg browser |
| Equus sp. | 2 | |
| zebra/quagga | ||
| Redunca fulvorufula | 5 | 29 kg |
| Redunca arundinum | 1 | grazer |
| also 2 Redunca sp. | ||
| Caprinae indet. | 2 | |
| an unknown extinct species | ||
| Pelea capreolus | 24 | 16 kg grazer |
| Antidorcas cf. marsupialis | 1 | 40 kg browser-grazer |
| Oreotragus oreotragus | 11 | browser-grazer |
| Raphicerus melanotis | 1 | 9.1 kg |
| also 28 Raphicerus sp. and 13 Neotragini indet. | ||
| Syncerus antiquus | 1 | |