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Sehonghong (SA)
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Basic information
Sample name: Sehonghong (SA)

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: 4

Unit order: above to below

Max Ma: 0.00974

Min Ma: 0.00928

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".
Two radiocarbon determinations bracket Layer SA to between 9740 ± 140 BP and 9280 ± 45 BP.

Environment
Lithology: ash

Taphonomic context: human accumulation,rock shelter

Archaeology: hearths,stone tools

Habitat comments: "Layer SA (Sandy Ash) consists of a series of mottled orange-brown sandy loams, most strongly developed toward the front of the excavation trench, in the rear of which firmer, white ashy units were found. The layer included one hearth together with an Oakhurst stone tool assemblage".
"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,snakes,frogs,fishes,crustaceans,clams,snails

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 719 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".
"Layer SA was excavated in 24 units with 140 buckets of deposit removed".

Metadata
Sample number: 3982

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-08-25 13:53:15

Modified: 2023-05-30 01:41:15

Abundance distribution
31 species
7 singletons
total count 719
extrapolated richness: 46.0
Fisher's α: 6.595
geometric series k: 0.8447
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8979
Shannon's H: 2.6381
Good's u: 0.9903
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Papio hamadryas1612 kg
Canis mesomelas37.9 kg carnivore
Herpestidae indet.4
Caracal caracal112 kg carnivore
also 1 Felidae and 1 Carnivora indet.
Equus quagga28279 kg grazer
also 1 Equus sp.
Procavia capensis1582.8 kg browser
Connochaetes gnou49 grazer
Alcelaphus buselaphus4143 kg grazer-browser
Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi183 kg grazer-browser
also 4 Alcelaphinae indet.
Sylvicapra grimmia413 kg browser-grazer
Antidorcas marsupialis140 kg browser-grazer
Oreotragus oreotragus66 browser-grazer
Ourebia ourebi914 kg grazer-browser
Raphicerus campestris129.7 kg browser-grazer
Pelea capreolus6716 kg grazer
Hippotragus equinus1246 kg grazer
Taurotragus oryx18393 kg browser-grazer
"Tragelaphus oryx"
Redunca fulvorufula1029 kg
also 525 Bovidae indet.
Hystrix africaeaustralis215 kg browser
Otomys sp.67
also 54 Rodentia indet.
Lepus saxatilis222.0 kg
also 1 Lepus sp. and 59 Lagomorpha indet.
Scleroptila cf. afra3
"Scleroptila cf. africanus"; also 55 Aves indet.
Varanus sp.1
also 6 Lacertilia indet.
Serpentes indet.8
also 2 Reptilia indet.
Anura indet.16
"Frog/toad"
Potamonautes sp.1
Achatina sp.47
also 3 Gastropoda indet.
Unionidae indet.3
Labeobarbus aeneus84
Labeo capensis12
also 345 Labeoninae indet.
Austroglanis sclateri1
Current reference: Huckleberry et al. 2001 (ER 3215)