Boomplaas Cave (Member BLD)
Basic information
Sample name: Boomplaas Cave (Member BLD)

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: Holocene

Section: 3779

Unit number: 1

Unit order: above to below

Ma: 0.001955

Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)

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 BLD member of the deposit has been radiocarbon dated to 1955 ± 65 BP (1726–2059 cal. BP).

Environment
Lithology: not described

Taphonomic context: cave,human accumulation

Archaeology: ceramics,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". Ornamented pottery and seed storage pits are present in the most recent layers (BLD, DGL).

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

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 1888 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: 4082

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2023-02-23 12:33:55

Modified: 2023-05-30 04:57:08

Abundance distribution
21 species
3 singletons
total count 1888
geometric series index: 30.0
Fisher's α: 3.308
geometric series k: 0.6967
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.4504
Shannon's H: 1.1037
Good's u: 0.9984
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Lepus capensis17
Bunolagus monticularis98
also 13 Leporidae indet.
Hystrix africaeaustralis815 kg browser
Papio ursinus21520 kg
Canis cf. mesomelas17.9 kg carnivore
Mellivora capensis27.7 kg carnivore-invertivore
Genetta sp.1
Herpestes ichneumon22.9 kg carnivore-insectivore
also 2 Herpestes sp.
Felis lybica21
Caracal caracal412 kg carnivore
"Felis cf caracal"
Panthera pardus233 kg carnivore
Procavia capensis13772.8 kg browser
Equus sp.14
zebra/quagga
Suidae indet.5
Taurotragus oryx1393 kg browser-grazer
also 1 Tragelaphini indet.
Hippotragus leucophaeus3
Redunca fulvorufula2129 kg
also 35 Redunca sp.
Alcelaphus buselaphus12143 kg grazer-browser
Pelea capreolus1716 kg grazer
Oreotragus oreotragus65 browser-grazer
Raphicerus melanotis29.1 kg
also 63 Raphicerus sp. and 42 Neotragini indet.