Archaeology: What's Hot Now: Rose Cottage Cave (South Afric

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Rose Cottage Cave (South Afric Nov 4th 2011, 10:03 Definition: Rose Cottage Cave is a multicomponent site located on the Caledon River in the eastern Free State region of South Africa. The cave is 20 meters (60 feet), 10 meters (30 feet) wide; its deposits are up to six meters (18 feet) deep and include evidence of its use by humans for over 100,000 years, including important Middle Stone Age (Howiesons Poort) occupations. Significant deposits at Rose Cottage Cave include both pre- and post-Howiesons Poort occupations, a possible Middle Stone Age/Late Stone Age transition occupation and a Late Stone sequence with several occupations. Chronology was established at Rose Cottage using a combination of thermoluminesce (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence OSL methods; all numbers in the table are in thousands of years (abbreviated ka). Post-Howiesons Poort 47-51 ka (TL), 33-57 ka (OSL) Howiesons Poort 42-58 ka (TL), 59-66 ka (OSL) Pre-Howiesons Poort 76-65 ka (TL), 86 ka (OSL) Howiesons Poort at Rose Cottage Cave The Howiesons Poort artifacts are a collection of blades, backed blades, flakes, triangles, and blanks primarily from fine-grained opaline (or chalcedony). Stone projectile points are considered likely to have been used as tips on arrows for bow-and-arrow hunting. Stone tool manufacturing systems appear to include marginal percussion with a soft stone hammer to make blades and bladelets. Post-Howiesons Poort artifacts include broad, thick projectile points with facetted platforms that probably were used as spear points, rather than the HP projectiles which researchers have suggested as arrowpoints. If so, Rose Cottage Cave illustrates that rather than being different levels of sophisticated technology, bow and arrow hunting and spear hunting are complementary technologies. Archaeological Research at Rose Cottage Cave Rose Cottage Cave was excavated in the 1940s by B.D. Malan and by P. Beaumont in 1962. In the latter part of the 20th century, the site was investigated again by Lyn Wadley. Sources This glossary entry is a part of the guide to Howiesons Poort and Stillbay, and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Mohapi M. 2007. Rose Cottage Cave MSA Lithic Points: Does Technological Change Imply Change in Hunting Techniques? The South African Archaeological Bulletin 62(185):9-18. Soriano S, Villa P, and Wadley L. 2007. Blade technology and tool forms in the Middle Stone Age of South Africa: the Howiesons Poort and post-Howiesons Poort at Rose Cottage Cave. Journal of Archaeological Science 34(5):681-703. Wadley L. 2005. Putting ochre to the test: replication studies of adhesives that may have been used for hafting tools in the Middle Stone Age. Journal of Human Evolution 49(5):587-601.

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