Diepkloof Rock Shelter (MSA - Still Bay)
Basic information
Sample name: Diepkloof Rock Shelter (MSA - Still Bay)

Reference: T. E. Steele and R. G. Klein. 2013. The Middle and Later Stone Age faunal remains from Diepkloof Rock Shelter, Western Cape, South Africa. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(9):3453-3462 [ER 3775]
Geography
Country: South Africa

State: Western Cape



Coordinate: 32° 23' 12" S, 18° 27' 10" E
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Late Pleistocene

Section: 3775

Unit number: 7

Unit order: above to below

Ma: 0.109

Age basis: OSL

Geography comments: "Diepkloof Rock Shelter is located about 180 km north of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It faces northeastwards atop an isolated outcrop of quartzitic sandstone, 120 m above the southern bank of the Verlorevlei River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean about 14 km to the northwest".
"The Still Bay deposits have been OSL dated to 109 ± 10 ka".

Environment
Lithology: not described

Taphonomic context: bird accumulation,human accumulation,rock shelter

Archaeology: hearths,stone tools

Habitat comments: "The shelter floor measures 25 m across the mouth and 17–22 m from dripline to rear wall. It is largely surrounded by fallen boulders that provide about 200 sq m of protected space. The MSA deposits reach a depth of about 3.1 m and comprise approximately 160 named stratigraphic units (SUs) that suggest persistent utilization with minimal significant hiatuses. Bone, shell, and well-preserved charcoal occur more or less throughout. Differences in artifact [stone tool] typology and technology have been used to group the SUs into nine complexes". These include an uncharacterized Lower MSA deposit, the technologically distinct "MSA-Mike", "Pre-Still Bay Lynn", "Still Bay", and "MSA-Jack" deposits, three "Howiesons Poort" (HP) deposits (Early, Intermediate, Late), and a "Post-HP" deposit.
"Humans likely introduced the bones of most larger animals, while raptors probably introduced many bones from smaller species, especially hares, dune mole rats, and hyraxes. The low density of lithic material and micro-stratigraphic analysis of the deepest deposits supports a minimal role for humans in accumulating these materials".

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 87 specimens

Years: 1973 -

Sampling comments: "The excavators divided the shelter surface into 1 × 1 m squares, most of which were further divided into quadrants. They excavated with small trowels and brushes and removed the deposit according to the natural stratigraphy. From 1998, finds with a dimension of >20 mm were assigned individual numbers and plotted in three dimensions. Smaller finds were recovered by square or quadrant from 5-mm mesh screens".

Metadata
Sample number: 4068

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2023-02-17 13:57:38

Modified: 2023-05-30 04:08:01

Abundance distribution
13 species
4 singletons
total count 87
geometric series index: 21.9
Fisher's α: 4.234
geometric series k: 0.7824
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8667
Shannon's H: 2.2152
Good's u: 0.9540
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Leporidae indet.19
Bathyergus suillus7
Papio ursinus120 kg
Herpestes pulverulentus1787 g carnivore-insectivore
"Galerella pulverulenta"
Genetta sp.1
Felis lybica34.5 kg carnivore
"Felis silvestris lybica", also 1 Felinae indet. "Caracal and/or serval"
Procavia capensis172.8 kg browser
Equus capensis6
also 7 Equus spp.
Rhinocerotidae indet.8
Hippopotamus amphibius101107 kg grazer
Taurotragus oryx6393 kg browser-grazer
Hippotragus leucophaeus1
Raphicerus sp.7
also 71 Bovidae indet.