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Additional Human Remains from Blombos Cave, South Africa

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Additional Human Remains from Blombos Cave, South Africa Frederick E. Grine Additional human remains from Blombos Departments of Anthropology Cave, South Africa: (1999–2000 & Anatomical Sciences, State excavations) University of New York, Stony Brook, New York 11794, U.S.A. E-mail: The uppermost Middle Stone Age (MSA) layers at Blombos Cave [email protected] contain high densities of Still Bay bifacial points. Information from other regional sites places the Still Bay prior to the Howiesons Poort industry, which has been dated at 65–70 ka. The Blombos Cave MSA Christopher S. strata have yielded nine human teeth or dental fragments. Four that Henshilwood were recovered during the 1997–1998 excavations have been pub- Department of Anthropology, lished elsewhere. The remaining five were discovered during the State University of New York, 1999–2000 field seasons; these are described here. Three of the new Stony Brook, New York specimens are deciduous teeth, and two are permanent premolar and 11794, U.S.A. and Iziko molar crown fragments. The entire dental sample probably represents Museums of Cape Town, at least five and as many as seven individuals. The deciduous teeth South African Museum, from the upper MSA levels are likely to have been exfoliated in the PO Box 61, Cape Town, cave. One deciduous tooth and the permanent tooth fragments 8000 South Africa. E-mail: from the lower MSA levels probably represent three individuals who [email protected] died in or near the cave. The Blombos Cave premolars preserve horizontal circum-cervical striae suggestive of palliative tooth pick Received 12 June 2001 use. Approximately half of the permanent and deciduous crown Revision received diameters exceed those of recent Africans; for the remainder, the 15 October 2001 and fossil values fall among modern African sample means. The Blombos accepted 18 October 2001 Cave tooth crowns tend to be smaller than the majority of penecon- temporaneous Neandertal teeth. The morphology of the Blombos Keywords: Blombos Cave, Cave di1 is comparable to MSA homologues from the nearby, and Middle Stone Age, human presumably somewhat younger site of Die Kelders Cave 1. fossils. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. Journal of Human Evolution (2002) 42, 293–302 doi:10.1006/jhev.2001.0525 Available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on Introduction The uppermost MSA layers contain high densities of Still Bay bifacial points. Blombos Cave (3425S, 2113E) is situ- Information from other regional sites places ated on the southern Cape coast of South the Still Bay before the Howiesons Poort Africa. It is an erosional feature in the calci- industry, which has been dated at 65–70 ka fied sediments of the Bredasdorp Group (Miller et al., 1999; Vogel, 2001). The where they contact the underlying Table Blombos Cave MSA strata have also yielded Mountain Sandstone. The cave has a floor formal bone artefacts (Henshilwood et al., area of some 50 m2, and an additional 18 m2 2001a), intentionally incised bone pieces of in situ deposit is retained in front of the and ochre (Henshilwood & Sealy, 1997; cave mouth by fallen calcarenite boulders. d’Errico et al., 2001; Henshilwood et al., Within the cave, Later Stone Age deposits 2001b). These artefacts, together with the are separated from underlying Middle Stone presence of large marine fish bones add to a Age (MSA) horizons by a sterile layer of small body of evidence suggesting an early quartzitic sand. To date, approximately origin for some aspects of modern human 13 m3 of the MSA deposit has been behavior in sub-Saharan Africa (McBrearty removed from the cave. & Brooks, 2000; Henshilwood et al., 2001b). 0047–2484/02/030293+10$35.00/0 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. 294 . . Table 1 Human dental remains from the MSA layers of Blombos Cave (1997–2000 excavations) Excavated Specimen Element Square context Layer Phase 1997–1998 excavations SAM-AP 6264 Ldm1 E-4 PIP CB/CC BBC M1 SAM-AP 6292 RP3 E-4 AT CI BBC M3 SAM-AP 6293 Rdi1 E-5a CFB CF BBC M2 SAM-AP 6295 RP4 E-4 AS CI BBC M3 1999–2000 excavations SAM-AP 6303 RP3 or P4 E-4d CK CK BBC M3 SAM-AP 8928 Rdm1 E-5c CC CC BBC M1 SAM-AP 8971 Ldm2 D-2d CD(sl) CD BBC M1 SAM-AP 8972 M frag. D-4d CJ CJ BBC M3 SAM-AP 8973 Ldi1 E-4 <CJ ?CK BBC M3 Excavation of the MSA strata in 1997– ICF and the adjacent root surface. These 1998 produced four isolated human teeth striae are present also on the other that were recovered by screen washing two Blombos Cave premolar fragments (Table 1). These have been described by (SAM-AP 6292 and 6295) (Grine et al., Grine et al. (2000). Continued excavation of 2000). the Blombos Cave MSA sediments in 1999– SAM-AP 8928 [Figure 2(b)]. This is a 2000 has resulted in the recovery of five complete, albeit very heavily worn crown of additional human teeth or dental fragments an Rdm1. All that remains of the resorbed (Table 1; Figure 1). These most recent root is a sharp, scalloped margin around the finds, also recovered by screen washing, are crown cervix. The crown preserves a sub- described here. Three of the new specimens stantial ridge of calculus along its buccal side are deciduous teeth; two are small fragments and over the lingual half of the distal side, of permanent premolar and molar crowns. where it runs on to the root. Wear has To date, no human osteological remains obliterated occlusal enamel except for small have been identified from the MSA strata of patches mesio- and distobuccally. There is a Blombos Cave. small mesial ICF; the deeply incised distal ICF cuts into the dentine creating an enamel step along its lingual margin. The crown has Descriptions a somewhat trapezoidal occlusal outline. It appears that the hypocone and meta- SAM-AP 6303 [Figure 2(a)]. This is a cone were substantially smaller than the fragment of permanent premolar crown. It is mesial cusps. A moderate tuberculum judged probably to represent the mesio- molare is delineated by a shallow, vertical lingual quadrant of an RP3 or RP4. Occlusal mesiobuccal fissure. enamel is worn flat, and a remnant of a SAM-AP 8971 [Figure 2(c)]. This is a slightly concave dentine exposure is pre- very heavily worn crown of an Ldm2. The served. The degree of wear is similar to that largely resorbed root preserves a remnant of on the SAM-AP 6295 premolar fragment. the furcation of the two buccal radiculae and Part of the interproximal contact facet (ICF) an indentation between the mesiobuccal is preserved. Numerous fine, parallel striae and lingual radiculae, which indicate that are present on the enamel cervical to the the neck was short (i.e., nontaurodont). 295 1 meter Section line D5 D4 BBC L1 Cave BBC L2 wall 2 A BBC L3 N CA 3 CB Hiatus 4 B C CC 6264 5 D 8928 6 CD DE FGH 8971 Drip line 6293 CF 0 5 meters CGA unexcavated CGB/CH 6295 CI 6292 fallen block 8972 CJ 6303 CK 8973 Figure 1. Blombos Cave. Map with excavation grid showing location of human teeth (stars), and stratigraphic section along grid line ‘‘D’’ showing projected locations of the human teeth (the position of SAM-AP 8971 is translated from section D2). The thick line along D4–D5 in the map is represented in section. BBC L1–L3 are Later Stone Age layers. The hiatus between the LSA and MSA strata is sterile sand. Black items are calcarenite blocks. A SAM-AP 8971; B SAM-AP 8972; C SAM-AP 6264, 6292, 6295, 6303, 8973; D SAM-AP 6293, 8928. Occlusal wear has reduced the crown to a deposit of calculus covering the cervical concave dentine surface with only a tiny enamel and adjacent root around most of patch of enamel along the groove between the crown periphery. the paracone and metacone. The enamel SAM-AP 8972 (no illustration). This is a margin around the crown disappears mesio- small fragment of the crown of a maxillary lingually, where the occlusal surface has permanent molar. It preserves part of the been worn beyond the cervical margin. A occlusal and buccal surfaces. Occlusal small remnant of the mesial ICF is pre- enamel on either side of the occlusal fissure served. The distal ICF extends across the between the paracone and metacone is worn entire distal crown surface. There is a heavy flat. 296 . . Figure 2. Human dental remains from the MSA strata of Blombos Cave (1999–2000 excavations). (a) SAM-AP 6303, ?RP3/4 frag., occlusal view, ?mesial to right; (b) SAM-AP 8928, Rdm1, occlusal view, mesial to right; (c) SAM-AP 8971, Ldm2, occlusal view, mesial to left; (d) SAM-AP 8973, Ldi1, lingual view, mesial to right. SAM-AP 8973 [Figure 2(d)]. This is a disto-incisal corners are rounded. Labial complete, unworn crown and developing enamel is slightly roughened with a number root of an Ldi1. The root, which is approxi- of tiny hypoplastic pits concentrated over the mately 5·6 mm long, is judged to be some incisal third of the crown. The incisal edge is 60% complete. This indicates an age of slightly crenulated. A single, small mam- death, or traumatic extractive loss of the melon is delineated near the mesial end. The tooth, at an age of less than ca. 1·5 years by crown is 7·3 mm high. Lingually, there is no modern standards (Kronfeld & Schour, mesial marginal ridge, no median ridge, and 1939), although only this one set of develop- the distal marginal ridge is short and weakly mental values has been published for developed.
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