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On the Variability of Middle Stone Age Lithic Technology During MIS3 in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

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On the Variability of Middle Stone Age Lithic Technology During MIS3 in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa On the variability of Middle Stone Age lithic technology during MIS3 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Dissertation der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen zur Erlangung des Grades eines Doktors der Naturwissenschaften (Dr. rer. nat.) vorgelegt von Gregor Donatus Bader aus Stuttgart Tübingen 2017 Gedruckt mit Genehmigung der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen. Tag der mündlichen Qualifikation: 18.10.2017 Dekan: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Rosenstiel 1. Berichterstatter Prof. Nicholas J. Conard PhD 2. Berichterstatter Prof. Dr. Michael Bolus Table of Contents I. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS II II. SUMMARY/ZUSAMMENFASSUNG IV III. LIST OF PUBLICATIONS VII i.) Accepted publications VII ii.) Manuscripts ready for submission VII IV. PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION VIII Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Chapter 2: Objectives and expected output 9 Chapter 3: Results and discussion 10 3.1. Characterizing the MIS3 post HP/Sibudan 10 assemblage of Sibudu 3.2. Holley Shelter and its place within the MSA 13 chronology of eastern South Africa 3.3. Umbeli Belli, the forgotten MSA site of KwaZulu- 18 Natal 3.4. A Return to Umbeli Belli. First insights of recent 22 excavations and implications for the final MSA in KwaZulu-Natal 3.5. Bringing the Middle Stone Age into clearer focus 27 Chapter 4: Conclusion 28 References 31 APPENDIX 42 I I. Acknowledgements This dissertation represents the final result of three and a half years of intensive research in South Africa and another five years of studies conducted at the University of Tübingen. During this time my childhood dream of becoming an archaeologist became true. Certainly I couldn´t have achieved this without the support of several people and I deeply regret in case I forget anybody. First of all I want to thank my supervisors Prof. Nicholas J. Conard and Prof. Michael Bolus. Thank you for trusting in me and my abilities and giving me the chance to work on such an exciting topic. I much appreciate the opportunity to contribute actively to the stone-age research in South Africa. Special thanks as well to Gavin Whitelaw and Carolyn Thorp from the KwaZulu-Natal museum in Pietermaritzburg for their help with organizational issues, providing lab space and assisting with all kinds of research in KZN. I want to thank Gavin again as well as Peter Cramb because without you I would have never heard about Holley Shelter and Umbeli Belli and thus the two of you represent some of the most important characters for my dissertation. Although we never met in person, I want to thank Charles Cable. Thanks for your assistance with the first paper on Umbeli Belli and fruitful email discussions. I am proud to carry on what you began so many years ago at Umbeli Belli. Special thanks as well to Carol Lentfer for her altruistic decision to analyze some points from Umbeli Belli and her contribution to the paper. Many thanks as well to Lawrence “Muzi” Msimanga, Sarah Rudolf and Laura Bauer. Conducting research at Umbeli Belli wouldn´t have been possible without you. Further I want to thank Andrew Kandel for his technical and scientific advice. Certainly this dissertation wouldn´t have been possible without financial support and thus I want to thank the state of Baden-Württemberg, the ROCEEH-project of the Heidelberger academy of science and the DFG for funding me and my project. From my first year at the university it became clear that archaeology is a life-style rather than only science and hence it is not surprising that many of my closest friends are archaeologists too. First I want to thank Manuel Will and Viola Schmid. During the past six years it has been always the three of us working closely together in South Africa, sharing a lot of responsibility and I want to thank you for the scientific interaction but basically for your friendship. I am also grateful for the good personal relationships between the members of our department and thus many thanks to II Patrick Schmidt, Regine Stolarczyk, Beth Velliky, Ewa Dutkiewicz and Mima Batalovic for keeping an eye on my coffee consume legendary pub evenings and a relaxed working atmosphere. Special thanks go to Sara Rhodes not only because she agreed immediately to check my English spelling for this dissertation but also for being a good friend. I want to thank my dear friends Julian Weigle, Madita Kairies, Johanna Klett, Klaus Klein, Augustinus Mohn, Hannes Rathmann, Judith Beyer, Frank Brodbeck, Christopher Britsch and Recha Seitz just for being friends. Each of you became part of my family and I can´t be grateful enough for the countless hours we spend together making my life just great. Last but not least I want to thank my parents Richard and Johanna Bader as well as my brother Fabian Bader and my girlfriend Julia Becher. Julia I thank you for your love, your belief in me and the beautiful hours we spend together. I am a lucky guy to have you. You are gorgeous! Fabian, you know best that it is not given for granted that siblings have a good relationship. However ours is great and this is priceless. Thanks! Mom and dad I thank you a thousand times for your love your belief in me and your support in every aspect of my life. You made everything possible and opened me the way to all I ever wanted to achieve. So this is for you! III II. Summary The Middle Stone Age (MSA) of Southern Africa, a period roughly dating to between 300.000 and 30.000 years BP, has received intensive research within the last century and especially since the mid-1980s when scientists recognized that the origins of anatomically modern humans (AMH) reach back into the beginnings of the MSA. While in Asia, Australia, Europe and the new world AMH’s presence is documented the first time between 100.000 and 15.000 years before present (BP) the oldest evidence from Africa dates back to 300.000 BP. Within this period several innovations emerged such as personal ornaments, symbolism, burials and advanced techniques of stone tool production, most of them later than 100.000 BP. Since stone artifacts are the most commonly preserved archaeological remains, the understanding of lithic technology and its variability throughout time and space represents the essential tool of stone age archaeology and allows the reconstruction of past human societies behavior in a broad spectrum of aspects including mobility patterns, adaption to different internal and external circumstances and cultural change. In the last decades a growing number of innovations associated with the term “cultural modernity” mentioned above was recovered from two distinct techno- complexes respectively the Still Bay (SB) and Howiesons Poort (HP). This and a high density of well-preserved archaeological sites on the west and south coast of South Africa led to a limited approach to the MSA both regionally and temporally. Consequently other time periods such as post Howiesons Poort (post HP), late MSA or final MSA associated with the Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3) have received substantially less attention and the archaeological region of eastern South Africa, especially KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) remained understudied. In sum, five archaeological sites containing MSA occupations are present in KZN. However Sibudu remained a hallmark in the region for many years due to its extraordinarily good conditions of preservation and deep stratigraphic sequence. Umhlatuzana and Border Cave have received comparatively little attention and the remaining two sites Holley Shelter and Umbeli Belli have either been analyzed insufficiently or even completely forgotten. Thus this thesis aims to provide solid archaeological data for the MIS3 assemblages from Holley Shelter, Umbeli Belli and Sibudu. It shall further outline the degree of cultural variability and flexibility within this time period. The results rest on reinvestigations of previously excavated museum collections such as the material IV from Holley Shelter but also on new data recovered from recent excavations using modern techniques of documentation and analytical procedures. Zusammenfassung Das Middle Stone Age (MSA) in Südafrika repräsentiert eine Zeitperiode, die vor ca. 300.000 Jahren begann und bis ca. 30.000 Jahre vor heute andauerte. Diese Zeitperiode war Grundlage intensiver Forschung innerhalb des letzten Jahrhunderts und ganz besonders seit der Mitte der 80er Jahre. Dies stand im Zusammenhang mit der damals gewonnenen Erkenntnis, dass der Ursprung Anatomisch Moderner Menschen (AMM) innerhalb dieser Zeit und in Afrika anzusiedeln ist. Während die ältesten Hinweise auf AMM außerhalb Afrikas frühestens um 100.000 vor heute dokumentiert sind, sprechen neueste Erkenntnisse dafür, dass die ältesten Vertreter unserer Art bereits zwischen 200.000 und 300.000 Jahren vor heute den Afrikanischen Kontinent besiedelten. Innerhalb dieses Zeitraums erfuhr die Menschheitsgeschichte zahlreiche Innovationen. Darunter befinden sich frühe Hinweise auf Schmuck in Form von durchlochten Schnecken, Werkzeuge aus organischen Materialien wie etwa Knochen, Gravierungen auf Ocker und Straußeneierschalen sowie fortschrittliche Methoden der Steinbearbeitung. Oftmals wurden diese Artefakte in Verbindung mit dem Begriff der „Kulturellen Modernität“ gebracht. Die meisten dieser Innovationen traten innerhalb der letzten 100.000 Jahre auf. Da sich Steinartefakte über Jahrmillionen oftmals perfekt erhalten, stellen sie die wohl wichtigste archäologische Quelle dar. Durch das intensive Studium von Herstellungstechniken und deren unterschiedlichen Variationen sowohl auf räumlicher als auch zeitlicher Ebene werden Erkenntnisse über das Verhalten früher Jäger und Sammler ermöglicht. Sie lassen unter anderem Rückschlüsse über Mobilität und Anpassungsverhalten an unterschiedlichste interne und externe Faktoren zu und ermöglichen uns auf diese Weise erstaunliche Einblicke in frühe Jäger und Sammler Kulturen. Ebenso repräsentieren sie ein nützliches Werkzeug für das Verständnis kulturellen Wandels. In den letzten Jahrzehnten führte eine außergewöhnliche Häufigkeit der oben beschriebenen Innovationen zu einem zunehmenden Forschungsschwerpunkt auf zwei spezifische Perioden innerhalb des MSA: das Still Bay (SB) und das Howiesons Poort (HP).
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