Under the guidance of Dr. Martha Tappen, Aaron Armstrong will study three South African archeological sites, focusing on small mammal remains. The goal of this investigation is to provide a more complete picture of the Middle Stone Age (MSA, 280-35 thousand year ago) diet, a question central to understanding the evolution of modern humans. The dataset will consist of MSA and Later Stone Age (LSA, <35 thousand years ago) faunas from Die Kelders Cave 1 (DK1) and MSA faunas from Pinnacle Point sites 13B (PP13B) and site 5-6 (PP5-6).
In recent years an abundance of paleoanthropological research has emerged that suggests both the modern human lineage and behavioral repertoire first appeared in Africa during the MSA. In particular, South Africa has produced a range of MSA archaeological sites that exhibit evidence of the modern human behavioral repertoire such as the production of elaborate tools and material culture suggestive of symbolic expression. Though it is clear that MSA humans preyed upon a variety of large mammals and exploited sessile or less-mobile organisms such as shellfish and tortoises, the foraging strategies of these humans are not well understood as subsistence research has tended to focus on large mammals at the expense of small prey. The study proposed here is a detailed taphonomic and zooarchaeological assessment of MSA small mammal accumulations designed to address this disparity.
The foraging capacities of MSA humans is of direct relevance to understanding how and why modern humans dispersed from the African continent ~60 thousand years ago and rapidly replaced populations of archaic humans throughout Eurasia. A comprehensive analysis that includes the small mammals at South African MSA sites will provide a more complete understanding of MSA diet and is vital to the study of this critical time period in human evolution as subsistence strategies and foraging adaptations have played a central role in debates concerning the behavioral modernity of MSA humans. By determining the role humans played in the accumulation of small mammals at DK1, PP13B, and PP5-6, Mr. Armstrong will be able to address the following questions: Were humans responsible for the accumulation of small mammals at MSA sites in South Africa? If so, why were these resources targeted over others? Were small mammals an important component of the diet? Did diet breadth increase during the MSA of South Africa?
Mr. Armstrong will communicate the results of his study to the scientific community and general public through publications in refereed journals, conference presentations, and public lectures. This dissertation project will further his training in taphonomy and zooarcheology through the data collection, analysis, and curate of the materials in question. Proper curation of the collections will facilitate access by future researchers. The project also calls for the training of two South African undergraduate students to assist in collection curation and faunal identification. Training of this type promotes both international academic collaboration and aids in the preservation of South African cultural heritage.
In recent years, Middle Stone Age (MSA; 250-35,000 years ago) archaeological sites in southern Africa have yielded evidence of human adaptive complexity such as evidence for symbolic behavior and innovative stone tool technologies. These archaeological discoveries continue to shape our understanding of human behavioral evolution during the Later Pleistocene. While the symbolic and technological aspects of MSA material culture have received considerable attention, significant gaps exist in our understanding of the subsistence behavior of humans during this period. It is apparent that MSA humans actively hunted a variety of large mammals; however, remarkably little is known about the place of small, mobile prey in the life-ways of MSA humans - despite the abundance of small mammals at MSA fossil sites. I have collected taphonomic and zooarchaeological data on the MSA small faunal component from Die Kelders Cave 1 (DK1; 80-60,000 years ago), a sample consisting of over 37,000 small mammal remains dominated by Cape dune mole-rat (Bathyergus suillus), Cape hare (Lepus capensis), and rock hyrax (Procavia capensis). In addition, I have studied eight faunal control assemblages accumulated by known small mammal predators (human, raptor, and carnivore). The control assemblages have afforded me the ability to recognize predator modifications in the fossil assemblage and have allowed for comparisons of the types and frequencies of surface modification patterns observed in the fossil sample. My research aims to answer these questions: Is there evidence for anthropogenic accumulation of small mammals during the Middle Stone Age? How can we distinguish between carnivore, raptor, and anthropogenic accumulations of small mammals in the fossil record? Were small mammals an important component of human diet? Is there evidence for "broad spectrum foraging" similar in scope to that of the Mediterranean Basin? The new taphonomic information I have collected indicates that humans were primarily responsible for the accumulation of small mammals during periods of high-intensity cave occupation at the MSA site of Die Kelders cave. Cutmarked and burned small mammal bones indicate that humans directly interacted with small mammals and that these were a valuable component of the resource base. The pattern of cutmarks observed on Cape dune mole-rat bones indicates that humans were processing mole-rats for their fur and probably for consumption. These results add new data to our understanding of broad spectrum foraging during the MSA of South Africa and suggests that humans expanded their resource base to include small, mobile prey between 80-60,000 years ago. As we have a limited understanding of these activities at present, studies of small mammal fossil assemblages are crucial to understanding developments in modern human behavioral complexity. However, humans were not solely responsible for the small mammal accumulation at Die Kelders. Based on my analysis of the predator control assemblages, the bone surface modification analysis indicates some non-anthropogenic input, particularly in the low-intensity occupation layers of the cave. Data derived from the control assemblages and predator ethology indicates that the other accumulator of small prey was likely the Cape eagle-owl (Bubo capensis), as originally hypothesized by Richard Klein. The predator fraction of fossil bone most closely resembles owl prey accumulations. In addition, the Cape eagle-owl was extant in the region during the MSA; the owl habitually preys on small mammals (up to 5 kg) and roosts on the floors of caves and rock shelters where it returns with prey to provision its young. The taphonomic data I have presented is the first substantial evidence for the systematic exploitation of small mammals during the Middle Stone Age. This research adds crucial information towards a more complete understanding of human foraging behavior during the Later Pleistocene and potentially points to the emergence of broad spectrum foraging during the Middle Stone Age of South Africa. Resolving the hunting and foraging capabilities of Middle Stone Age humans is central to understanding the emergence of modern human behavior and is of direct relevance to understanding how and why modern humans dispersed from the African continent roughly 60-40,000 years ago.
