Klasies River Caves
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The Klasies River Caves are a series of caves located to the east of the Klasies River mouth on the Tsitsikamma coast in the
Humansdorp Humansdorp is a small town and surrounding district in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with a population of around 29,000 during the census of 2011. It is part of the Kouga Local Municipality of the Sarah Baartman District. The town is th ...
district of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The three main caves and two shelters at the base of a high cliff have revealed evidence of middle stone age-associated human habitation from approximately 125,000 years ago. The thick deposits were accumulated from 125,000 years ago. Around 75,000 years ago, during cave remodelling, the stratigraphic sediments were moved out into external middens. In 2015, the South African government submitted a proposal to add the caves to the list of
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s. From 1960, Ronald Singer, Ray Inskeep, John Wymer,
Hilary Deacon Hilary John Deacon (10 January 1936 – 25 May 2010) was a South African archaeologist and academic. He was professor of archaeology at the University of Stellenbosch in Stellenbosch, South Africa. His research focused on the emergence of modern ...
, Richard Klein and others suggested the excavation yielded the earliest known evidence of
behaviourally modern humans Behavioral modernity is a suite of behavioral and cognitive traits that distinguishes current ''Homo sapiens'' from other anatomically modern humans, hominins, and primates. Most scholars agree that modern human behavior can be characterized b ...
. Further analysis suggested that the specimens fall "outside the range of modern variation".


Morphology

Analysis of 14 proximal
ulna The ulna (''pl''. ulnae or ulnas) is a long bone found in the forearm that stretches from the elbow to the smallest finger, and when in anatomical position, is found on the medial side of the forearm. That is, the ulna is on the same side of t ...
r dimensions compared to morphological properties of African archaic humans, and Levantine Mousterian, archaic European humans, west Asian and, European
Upper Paleolithic The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. Very broadly, it dates to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago (the beginning of the Holocene), according to some theories coin ...
, African Epipaleolithic and recent modern human also of recent African descent suggests an archaic total morphological pattern for the KRM specimens. "MSA-associated humans from KRM may not be as modern as has been claimed from the craniofacial material". The hominin specimens include
cranial Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...
fragments,
mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...
s with teeth, and a few
postcranial Postcrania (postcranium, adjective: postcranial) in zoology and vertebrate paleontology is all or part of the skeleton apart from the skull. Frequently, fossil remains, e.g. of dinosaurs or other extinct tetrapods, consist of partial or isolated s ...
remains:
ulna The ulna (''pl''. ulnae or ulnas) is a long bone found in the forearm that stretches from the elbow to the smallest finger, and when in anatomical position, is found on the medial side of the forearm. That is, the ulna is on the same side of t ...
and five
metatarsal The metatarsal bones, or metatarsus, are a group of five long bones in the foot, located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and mid-foot and the phalanges of the toes. Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are numbered from the me ...
bones.


Evidence for behavioural modernity

There is a thick accumulation of deposits, both inside the caves and outside against the cliff face, proving that Klasies River Mouth people knew how to hunt small game, fish (later), gather plants and roots, cook by roasting on hearths, and manage their land (later). There is extensive evidence of shellfish collecting; MSA stone artifact technology; gathering plants, roots and flowers for food; cooking plants, corms, seal, penguins, and antelope meat on hearths with fire; general organisation of the settlement; and land/veld management by fire. The evidence also appears to indicate that their presence was seasonal or migratory. There is also evidence of cannibalism, charred and carved 'modern human' bones discarded with other food remnants. While Middle Stone Age (MSA) assemblage associated with those people are described as ''anatomically modern'', there is ongoing debate about when they were also ''behaviourally modern''. There is a marked difference between the Paleolithic
stone technology A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made either partially or entirely out of stone. Although stone tool-dependent societies and cultures still exist today, most stone tools are associated with prehistoric (particularly Stone Ag ...
used in the earliest layers from 125,000 years ago, and the superior MST blades of the 70,000-year-old
Howiesons Poort Howiesons Poort (also called HP) is a lithic technology cultural period in the Middle Stone Age in Africa named after the Howieson's Poort Shelter archeological site near Grahamstown in South Africa. It seems to have lasted around 5,000 years bet ...
period that used raw material which had been 'mined' 20 kilometres inland. There is also a differentiation between the Paleolithic food detritus that accumulated underfoot inside the caves 125,000 years ago and the ejection of such detritus from the cave into external middens by the occupants of ca. 75,000 years ago, suggesting the development of rudimentary "housekeeping" by that time.


Cannibalistic Evidence

Regarding the bone finds at the site, more recent research has been conducted by Frederick E. Grine, Sarah Wurz, and Curtis W. Marean, sponsored by the Leakey Foundation and the College of Arts and Sciences, Stony Brook University, and featuring The work of S. Wurz based on research supported by the National Research Foundation of South Africa and The research support of C.W. Marean provided by the National Science Foundation (although the latter takes no responsibility: any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the authors). The goal was to review the findings that had occurred in previous decades and if possible emphasize a more timely stratigraphic affiliation and also provided the first anatomical interpretation of many of the cranial fragments found there. Most human fossils represent adults. Only three juvenile individuals are represented, each with a deciduous tooth. This compares with other MSA sites along the southern coast of South Africa, where human remains are predominantly juvenile, typically in the form of deciduous (possibly exfoliated) teeth. The review pointed out and confirmed that some among the bone fragments of human, as well as animal, affiliation would appear to show signs of cooking, gnawing, and tampering by tools (resulting in incision marks and cuts). These include: –two small parietal fragments that both appear charred –a very small, gracile right mandibular corpus that had the front part of the corpus is discolored, possibly charred, although they also observed that there "are no signs of fire shrinkage. –a moderately large (68 mm - 53 mm) piece of cranial vault, identified it as a piece of the right parietal, the ectocranial surface exhibits possible evidence of burning. –Another a moderately large (ca. 55 mm -68 mm) piece of cranial vault. This piece is interpreted with high confidence as representing the inferoposterior corner of a right parietal. Discoloration, possibly due to burning, is evident on the ectocranial surface of this piece. –a small (ca. 40 - 35 mm) piece of cranial vault preserving a 15.5 mm long segment of a patent suture that exhibits a white-gray discoloration, suggestive of burning. –the well-known frontal fragment was described and illustrated by Singer and Wymer, and by Rightmire and Deacon, all of whom stressed its morphological modernity that presented stone tool cut-marks crossing its squamous surface. –A nearly complete right fifth metatarsal. The shaft is intact, but the ends are weathered. Rightmire have suggested that the end might have been gnawed upon. –a complete left second metatarsal that in several regions, the cortex is blackened, and the specimen gives the appearance of having been burned. –edentulous symphysis and left corpus of a mandible. The specimen was blackened, possibly charred and its cracked appearance suggested firing. These types of evidence cannot confirm with certainty that cannibalistic practices were being carried out at the site, but the coexistence of human and animal fragments and the high percentage of fragments from specious body parts (tending to be skull, metatarsals, lumbar sections, and forearm) tend to suggest that it is not coincidental.


Discovery and excavation

The artifacts and bones were originally reported by Paul Haslem and Ludwig Abel, then in 1960 Ray Inskeep and Ronald Singer identified the artifacts as Middle Stone Age. In 1967 and 1968 Ronald Singer and John Wymer started extensive excavations, with their initial findings published in 1972 by the
University of Chicago Press The University of Chicago Press is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including ''The Chicago Manual of Style'', ...
. Since 1984 research has been continued by
Hilary Deacon Hilary John Deacon (10 January 1936 – 25 May 2010) was a South African archaeologist and academic. He was professor of archaeology at the University of Stellenbosch in Stellenbosch, South Africa. His research focused on the emergence of modern ...
. The site is now protected by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), and the Department of Environment Affairs and Tourism.


Locations

The five caves are dotted eastwards along the coast within 2 kilometres of Klasies River mouth, and the complete stretch to Druipkelder Point is designated as a
National heritage site A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage registe ...
. (Locations – best viewed in Google Earth) * Klasies River Mouth at * Klasies Main Site, Caves 1 & 2, at * Klasies Caves 3 & 4 at * Klasies Cave 5 at


See also

*
Boomplaas Cave Boomplaas Cave is located in the Cango Valley in the foothills of the Swartberg mountain range, north of Oudtshoorn, Eden District Municipality in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. It has a deep stratified archaeological sequence of hum ...
*
Jebel Irhoud Jebel Irhoud or Adrar n Ighoud ( zgh, ⴰⴷⵔⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵉⵖⵓⴷ, Adrar n Iɣud; ar, جبل إيغود, žbəl iġud), is an archaeological site located just north of the locality known as Tlet Ighoud, approximately south-east of the cit ...
– possibly the earliest known fossils of Homo sapiens, dated to circa 300,000 years ago. *
Omo remains The Omo remains are a collection of homininThis article quotes historic texts that use the terms 'hominid' and 'hominin' with meanings that may be different from their modern usages. This is because several revisions in classifying the great apes h ...
– fossils of
Homo sapiens Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
, dated to circa 190,000 years ago. * Herto remains – an extinct subspecies of
Homo sapiens Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
, dated to circa 160,000 years ago. General: *
List of fossil sites This list of fossil sites is a worldwide list of localities known well for the presence of fossils. Some entries in this list are notable for a single, unique find, while others are notable for the large number of fossils found there. Many of t ...
''(with link directory)'' * List of hominina (hominid) fossils ''(with images)'' *
List of archaeological periods The names for archaeological periods in the list of archaeological periods vary enormously from region to region. This is a list of the main divisions by continent and region. Dating also varies considerably and those given are broad approximations ...
*
List of caves in South Africa A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
Keurboomstrand, Western Cape Keurboomstrand is a resort town near Plettenberg Bay on the Western Cape of South Africa. It takes its name from the indigenous keurboom tree which grows in the region. The Keurbooms River runs nearby. It is commonly seen as a less busy alternat ...


References


Citations


Sources

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External links


Unesco World Heritage listing for Pleistocene occupation sites of Klasies River, Border Cave, Wonderwerk Cave and comparable sites relating to the emergence of modern humans




{{Authority control Archaeological sites in South Africa Caves of South Africa Landforms of the Eastern Cape Middle Stone Age Paleoanthropological sites Pleistocene paleontological sites of Africa Prehistoric cannibalism Prehistoric South Africa Protected areas of the Eastern Cape Archaeology of Southern Africa