Navorsinge VAN DIE NASIONALE MUSEUM BLOEMFONTEIN VOLUME 25, PART 2 MARCH 2009 THE ARCHAEOLOGY ASSEMBLAGE FROM THE 1958 EXCAVATION OF HOFFMAN’S/ROBBERG CAVE AND A COMPARISON WITH NELSON BAY CAVE by Katharine Kyriacou & Judith Sealy NAVORSINGE VAN DIE NASIONALE MUSEUM, BLOEMFONTEIN is an accredited journal which publishes original research results. Manuscripts on topics related to the approved research disciplines of the Museum, and/or those based on study collections of the Museum, and/or studies undertaken in the Free State, will be considered. Submission of a manuscript will be taken to imply that the material is original and that no similar paper is being or will be submitted for publication elsewhere. Authors will bear full responsibility for the factual content of their publications and opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the National Museum. All contributions will be critically reviewed by at least two appropriate external referees. Contributions should be forwarded to: The Editor, Navorsinge, National Museum, P.O. Box 266, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa. Instructions to authors appear at the end of each volume or are available from the editor. --------------------------------------------------------------- NAVORSINGE VAN DIE NASIONALE MUSEUM, BLOEMFONTEIN is 'n geakkrediteerde joernaal wat oorspronklike navorsing publiseer. Manuskripte wat erkende studierigtings van die Museum omsluit en/of wat op die studieversamelings van die Museum gebaseer is en/of wat handel oor studies wat in die Vrystaat onderneem is, sal oorweeg word. Voorlegging van 'n manuskrip impliseer dat die materiaal oorspronklik is en geen soortgelyke manuskrip elders voorgelê is of voorgelê sal word nie. Outeurs dra die volle verantwoordelikheid vir die feitelike inhoud van hulle publikasies en menings wat uitgespreek word, is dié van die outeurs en word nie noodwendig deur die Nasionale Museum onderskryf nie. Bydraes sal vir kritiese oorweging na ten minste twee geskikte buite- beoordelaars verwys word. Manuskripte vir publikasie moet voorgelê word aan: Die Redakteur, Navorsinge, Nasionale Museum, Posbus 266, Bloemfontein, 9300, Suid-Afrika. Voorskrifte aan outeurs verskyn afsonderlik aan die einde van 'n volume of kan van die redakteur verkry word. ISSN 0067-928 NATURAL SCIENCES VOLUME 25, PART 2 MARCH 2009 THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSEMBLAGE FROM THE 1958 EXCAVATION OF HOFFMAN’S/ROBBERG CAVE AND A COMPARISON WITH NELSON BAY CAVE by KATHARINE KYRIACOU & JUDITH SEALY Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT Kyriacou, K. & Sealy, J. 2009. The archaeological assemblage from the 1958 excavation of Hoffman's/Robberg cave and a comparison with Nelson Bay cave. Navors. nas. Mus., Bloemfontein 25(2): 49-72. This paper documents the archaeological finds excavated from the site of Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave by Dr A.C. Hoffman in 1958. Although this material was excavated almost fifty years ago, it has not previously been catalogued or described. The collection curated in the National Museum, Bloemfontein contains informal ‘Post- Wilton’ stone artefacts, mostly made from locally-available quartzite, as well as a range of bone artefacts. There are surprisingly few items manufactured from marine shell. Food remains include bone from seals, marine birds, fish, rock hyrax, bovids and other animals, as well as marine mollusc shells. We go on to compare this assemblage with that from contemporary (‘Post-Wilton’) levels from the nearby site of Nelson Bay Cave. Assessment of the Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave material is constrained by the fact that we are unsure of the extent to which the collection curated in the National Museum is truly representative of the site, given the unsystematic excavation practices employed by Hoffman and the possibility that he retained certain items from the site and discarded others. A solution to this problem would be to conduct further excavations at Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave in order to obtain an unselected sample. (Hoffman's /Robberg Cave, Nelson Bay Cave) OPSOMMING Die argeologiese versameling uit die 1958-opgrawings van die Hoffman/Robber-grot en 'n vergelyking met die Nelsonbaaigrot. Hierdie artikel beskryf die argeologiese voorwerpe wat by die Hoffman/Robberg-grot deur dr. A. C. Hoffman in 1958 opgegrawe is. Alhoewel die materiaal 50 jaar gelede opgegrawe is, is dit nog nie voorheen gekatalogiseer of beskryf nie. Die versameling is onder kuratorskap van die Nasionale Museum, Bloemfontein, en bestaan uit informele post-Wiltonklipwerktuie, meestal gemaak van kwartsiet uit die omgewing, sowel as ‘n reeks van been-artifakte. Daar is verrassend min items vervaardig van marieneskulpe. Voedseloorblyfsels word verteenwoordig deur die bene van robbe, seevoëls, visse, dassies, wildsbokke en ander diere, sowel as marieneskulpe. Verder het ons die versameling vergelyk met die post-Wiltonlae van die nabygeleë Nelsonbaaigrot. Evaluering van die Hoffman/Robberg-grot versameling is beperk weens die feit dat ons nie weet in watter mate die versameling wat in die Nasionale Museum is, verteenwoordigend is van die materiaal wat Hofmann deur onsistematiese opgrawingstegnieke bekom het nie. Sekerheid oor wat hy gehou en wat hy weggegooi het, is dus onduidelik. Om dus ‘n beter verteenwoordigende versameling te bewerkstellig, beteken dat daar in die toekoms verdere opgrawings by die Hofmann/Robberg-grot gedoen sal moet word. (Hoffman/Robberg-grot, Nelsonbaaigrot) ISBN 1 86847 127 6 50 Navors. nas. Mus., Bloemfontein, Volume 25, Part 2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 50 Hoffman's/Robbeberg Cave .......................................................................................... 50 Previous Research along the southern Cape coast ......................................................... 51 DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSEMBLAGE FROM HOFFMAN’S/ROBBERG CAVE ...... 54 Method of Analysis ....................................................................................................... 54 The Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave Collection ..................................................................... 54 DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................................... 57 INTERPRETATIONS .......................................................................................................... 66 Material culture and ethnic identity in archaeology: debates and approaches ............... 66 Material culture and identity at Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave ........................................... 68 CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................. 70 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................. 70 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 70 INTRODUCTION Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave The site of Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave, also known as East Ghwanogat and Cave F, is located on the Robberg Peninsula west of Plettenberg Bay on the southern coast of South Africa. It is close to two intensively studied and well documented southern Cape coastal cave sites, namely Nelson Bay Cave and Matjes River Rock Shelter (Fig.1). Nelson Bay Cave provides one of the best records of human behaviour spanning the Middle and Later Stone Ages anywhere in the world. In 2006, the authors set out to examine and catalogue the collection of Late Holocene material from Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave curated in the National Museum, Bloemfontein. Derived from an excavation undertaken fifty years ago by the then director of the Museum, this material had been stored without having been documented or analyzed. In our study of this collection, we aimed to compare it with contemporary Late Holocene assemblages, notably that from Nelson Bay Cave, and in so doing, integrate the little studied site of Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave into the broader context of developments within forager societies living on the southern Cape coast during the Late Holocene. 2009 Kyriacou K. & Sealy, J. – Hoffman's/Robberg Cave 51 Figure 1: Map showing location of Hoffman’s (Robberg) Cave and other important archaeological sites. Previous Research along the southern Cape coast Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave As part of a series of caves on the Robberg Peninsula, Hoffman’s/Robberg Cave was probably explored by a number of local residents, guano diggers, skeleton hunters and amateur collectors prior to the first systematic archaeological excavations. The first known investigation of the site was undertaken by the Rev W.G. Sharples and Mr. W. van Rooyen who, at the request of Dr Peringuey of the South African Museum, began excavating the caves on the Robberg Peninsula in 1917. They focused on the recovery of human remains and highly decorated or elaborate items of material culture including painted stones and bone artefacts. Excavations at the site referred to as Cave F, a large cave containing stalactites along the right wall, were begun in March of that year. A trench was dug near the stalactites, where the skeleton of a child was retrieved, and also a quartzite pebble decorated on one side with painted images of two black animals pursued by a human figure. The substantial shell midden deposit located beneath the stalactites yielded additional