New excavations at Klein Kliphuis rock shelter, Cederberg Mountains, Western Cape, South Africa: the late Holocene deposits

Authors

Jayson Orton, University of Cape Town
Alex Mackay, Australian National UniversityFollow

RIS ID

90656

Publication Details

Orton, J. & Mackay, A. (2008). New excavations at Klein Kliphuis rock shelter, Cederberg Mountains, Western Cape, South Africa: the late Holocene deposits. South African Archaeological Bulletin, 63 69-76.

Abstract

Klein Kliphuis (KKH), a rock shelter located in the northern Cederberg Mountains of the Western Cape province, South Africa (Fig. 1), was originally excavated in 1984 with emphasis on the late Holocene Later Stone Age (LSA) layer in the top 200mmof the deposit (Van Rijssen 1992). At that time only one square was excavated to bedrock, which was reached at about 890 mm. The approximately 700mmof deposit underlying the Holocene LSA were excavated in four layers. Recent examination of this material showed a complex sequence of Middle Stone Age (MSA) artefact-making traditions (Mackay 2006). The need for more detailed excavation thus became apparent.