Sehonghong (RBL/CLBRF)
Basic information
Sample name: Sehonghong (RBL/CLBRF)
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: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3742
Unit number: 7
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.01247
Min Ma: 0.01241
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 dates on Layers RBL/CLBRF range from 12,470 ± 100 BP to 12,410 ± 45 BP.
Two radiocarbon dates on Layers RBL/CLBRF range from 12,470 ± 100 BP to 12,410 ± 45 BP.
Environment
Lithology: ash
Taphonomic context: human accumulation,rock shelter
Archaeology: hearths,stone tools,other structures
Habitat comments: "The RBL/CLBRF (Red Brown Loam/Carbonaceous Loams Below Rock Fall) layers comprise brown, compost-like light loamy soils with high macroplant contents and ashy charcoal-rich loams. They contained several heavy red ochre-stained grindstones. Its lithic assemblage has been assigned to the Robberg Industry". Hearths are present throughout all of the Pleistocene layers, with one from Layers RBL/CLBRF having an "elaborate stone setting around it".
"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".
"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,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds,lizards,frogs,fishes,clams
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 438 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".
Metadata
Sample number: 3985
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-08-25 16:07:26
Modified: 2023-05-30 01:41:08
Abundance distribution
31 species
6 singletons
total count 438
extrapolated richness: 48.0
Fisher's α: 7.619
geometric series k: 0.8513
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8770
Shannon's H: 2.6044
Good's u: 0.9864
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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