Blombos Cave (Phase M3)
Basic information
Sample name: Blombos Cave (Phase M3)
Reference: C. S. Henshilwood, J. C. Sealy, R. Yates, K. Cruz-Uribe, P. Goldberg, F. E. Grine, R. G. Klein, C. Poggenpoel, K. van Niekerk, and I. Watts. 2001. Blombos Cave, Southern Cape, South Africa: Preliminary report on the 1992-1999 excavations of the Middle Stone Age levels. Journal of Archaeological Science 28(4):421-448 [ER 3719]
Geography
Country: South Africa
State: Western Cape
Coordinate: 34° 25' S, 21° 13' E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3719
Unit number: 4
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.0993
Min Ma: 0.0853
Age basis: OSL
Geography comments: "Blombos Cave is a limestone cave situated in the Blombosfontein Nature Reserve on the south coast of the Western Cape Province of South Africa, some 100 m from the Indian Ocean and approximately 300 km east of Cape Town".
"The M3 phase has been dated by OSL to roughly between 99.3 ± 5.0 ka and 85.3 ± 4.0 ka".
"The M3 phase has been dated by OSL to roughly between 99.3 ± 5.0 ka and 85.3 ± 4.0 ka".
Environment
Lithology: sandstone
Taphonomic context: cave,human accumulation
Archaeology: hearths,stone tools
Habitat comments: "The cave was formed as a result of solution action and wave cutting of a cliff formed of calcified sediments that lies above a basal layer of Table Mountain Sandstone".
The site consists of three major Middle Stone Age layers (Phases M1-M3) beneath a thick, sterile aeolian sand dune layer that separates the Middle Stone Age (MSA) sequence from the recent Late Stone Age (LSA) layers.
"Most of the MSA deposits are finely bedded to laminated, with cm thick bedding. Phase M3 consists of light to medium brown sandy layers, with relatively fewer artefacts. There are extensive compact in situ hearths and ash deposits. The M3 layers are dominated by shellfish remains and contain high densities of ochre".
Various stone stools are present including flakes, cores, scrapers, and other retouched pieces. "The abundance of artefacts strongly implicates humans as the principle bone accumulators".
The site consists of three major Middle Stone Age layers (Phases M1-M3) beneath a thick, sterile aeolian sand dune layer that separates the Middle Stone Age (MSA) sequence from the recent Late Stone Age (LSA) layers.
"Most of the MSA deposits are finely bedded to laminated, with cm thick bedding. Phase M3 consists of light to medium brown sandy layers, with relatively fewer artefacts. There are extensive compact in situ hearths and ash deposits. The M3 layers are dominated by shellfish remains and contain high densities of ochre".
Various stone stools are present including flakes, cores, scrapers, and other retouched pieces. "The abundance of artefacts strongly implicates humans as the principle bone accumulators".
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,marine mammals,other large mammals,other small mammals,fishes
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 2340 specimens
Years: 1992 -
Sampling comments: "The first excavation at Blombos Cave was initiated in 1991 and led to the recovery of only the LSA deposits dated at less than 2 ka old. A second excavation was begun in 1992, with excavations of both the LSA and MSA levels continuing in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000" and beyond...
"Within the cave interior, behind the drip line, a surface area of 12·5 m2 of MSA deposits has been excavated (as of 2000); forward of the drip line a test trench of 3 m2 was excavated in 1999. Excavation by brush or trowel followed individual strata or layers".
"Recovered deposits were wet sieved through both 1·5 and 3·0 mm meshes using seawater. Recovered material was later re-washed in freshwater and shade dried".
The register below consists of the identified macromammal remains only (those with a mean adult body weight of at least 0.75 kg), including additional remains identified from this phase excavated from 2001 to 2010 (presented in Badenhorst et al. 2016). Smaller micromammals are also present (along with several other groups), although raw NISP counts are not provided, not even in the follow-up small mammal dedicated publications.
"Within the cave interior, behind the drip line, a surface area of 12·5 m2 of MSA deposits has been excavated (as of 2000); forward of the drip line a test trench of 3 m2 was excavated in 1999. Excavation by brush or trowel followed individual strata or layers".
"Recovered deposits were wet sieved through both 1·5 and 3·0 mm meshes using seawater. Recovered material was later re-washed in freshwater and shade dried".
The register below consists of the identified macromammal remains only (those with a mean adult body weight of at least 0.75 kg), including additional remains identified from this phase excavated from 2001 to 2010 (presented in Badenhorst et al. 2016). Smaller micromammals are also present (along with several other groups), although raw NISP counts are not provided, not even in the follow-up small mammal dedicated publications.
Metadata
Sample number: 3945
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-04-02 15:05:33
Modified: 2023-05-30 00:53:24
Abundance distribution
37 species
11 singletons
total count 2340
geometric series index: 66.9
Fisher's α: 6.240
geometric series k: 0.8167
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.5537
Shannon's H: 1.2737
Good's u: 0.9953
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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