Interpreting MIS3 artefact transport patterns in Southern Africa using cortex ratios: An example from the Putslaagte valley, Western Cape

Authors

Sam C. Lin, University of WollongongFollow
Matthew J. Douglass, University of Auckland, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Alex Mackay, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

115939

Publication Details

Lin, S. C., Douglass, M. J. & Mackay, A. (2016). Interpreting MIS3 artefact transport patterns in Southern Africa using cortex ratios: An example from the Putslaagte valley, Western Cape. South African Archaeological Bulletin, 71 (204), 173-180.

Abstract

Recent studies hypothesise that the limited archaeological presence during the later Marine Isotope Stage 3 in southern Africa's Winter Rainfall Zone was caused by a reorganisation of land-use patterns by past groups in the region. In this study, we examine the composition of a lithic assemblage dated to this period at the site of Putslaagte 1 in the Doring River valley to investigate its formational history. Our findings indicate a substantial cortex deficit in the assemblage, likely caused by the transport of large and relatively thin flakes away from the assemblage locality.