Sample name: Wonderwerk Cave (excavation 2, stratum 2)

Reference: M. Chazan, F. Berna, J. Brink, M. Ecker, S. Holt, N. Porat, J. L. Thorp, and L. K. Horwitz. 2020. Archeology, environment, and chronology of the early Middle Stone Age component of Wonderwerk Cave. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 3:302-335 [ER 3866]

Lithology: sandstone

Taphonomic context: carnivore accumulation,cave,human accumulation,rodent accumulation

Archaeology: stone tools

Habitat comments: "This layer is 18 cm thick, composed of dark tan sand, locally laminated and locally discolored to black or off-white... It contains rare light-gray rounded gravel" and there was "a nearby body of water or seasonally dry lake" that provided the sediments
"many bones in the assemblage are burnt... and/or have been modified by carnivore and porcupine damage... copious quantities of hyaena coprolites were found" so carnivores "may have served as vectors for the introduction of some prey species into the cave" and it is fair to infer this is also a porcupine accumulation, although the authors take no position
the lithic assemblage "consists of 132 detached pieces" and the faunal assemblage "reflects of a range of subsistence activities including trapping of small reptiles and mammals" and "hunting" of larger ones

Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds,turtles

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 167 specimens

Sampling comments: 57 indeterminate bovids in four size classes are also listed

Sample number: 4241

Contributor: John Alroy

Enterer: John Alroy

Created: 2023-04-21 14:34:02

Modified: 2023-04-21 04:41:56