Sample name: Moritsane

Reference: D. R. Cohen. 2010. Hunting and herding at Moritsane, a village in Southeastern Botswana, c. AD 1165-1275. South African Archaeological Bulletin 65(192):154-163 [ER 3717]

Lithology: ash

Taphonomic context: human accumulation,midden,settlement

Archaeology: bone tools,burials

Habitat comments: "The site is reported to have had a centrally located Kraal midden about 50 metres across and 850 mm deep. There was enough space surrounding it for perhaps 15 to 20 huts, although no huts were excavated at the site".
One of the most notable finds was a burial of an unsexed juvenile with a string of yellow glass beads around both wrists and a strand of ochre stained ostrich eggshell beads around the waist".
"Most of the excavated bones likely came from ashy deposits in the midden, accounting for their preservation. Some of the bones were burned, and diagenetic processes of calcination may have also acted further to preserve this assemblage".
In addition to the animal bones recovered, the deposit contained at least 66 bone points, indicating the use of bow and arrow hunting technology. No iron points, projectile or otherwise, were found during the excavation".

Life forms: carnivores,primates,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals,lizards,turtles,clams

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 118 specimens

Sampling comments: "The site was excavated in the early 1980s and was only briefly reported at the time. Specific stratigraphic and contextual records from the excavation can no longer be located".
"The excavation was conducted to a depth of approximately 1.2 metres below the surface and entailed making a trench into the side of a central midden deposit, with smaller units at other locations on the hilltop. However, only the faunal assemblage from the trench could be located".
"The complete assemblage weighs 15 kg and is highly fragmented by human culinary and disposal practices, and possible trampling by cattle. Less than 4 kg of this highly fragmented bone was selected for identification, due to the large number of non-identifiable bone pieces and the lack of any record of their depositional context".

Sample number: 3941

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-03-31 17:33:40

Modified: 2022-03-31 06:38:58