Sehonghong (GWA)
Basic information
Sample name: Sehonghong (GWA)
Reference: I. Plug and P. Mitchell. 2008. Sehonghong: hunter-gatherer utilization of animal resources in the highlands of Lesotho. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 45:31-53 [ER 3742]
Geography
Country: Lesotho
State: Thaba-Tseka
Coordinate: 30° 46' S, 29° 47' E
Latlng basis: stated in text
Time interval: Holocene
Section: 3742
Unit number: 2
Unit order: above to below
Ma: 0.00595
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "Sehonghong is a large rock-shelter on the banks of the Sehonghong River, close to its confluence with the Senqu (Orange/Gariep) in the Thaba Tseka District of the highlands of Lesotho. The site lies at an elevation of 1800 m above sea level".
Layer GWA dates to 5950 ± 70 BP based on a single radiocarbon date.
Layer GWA dates to 5950 ± 70 BP based on a single radiocarbon date.
Environment
Lithology: ash
Taphonomic context: human accumulation, rock shelter
Archaeology: hearths, stone tools
Habitat comments: "Layer GWA (Grey White Ash) consists of a series of quite firm white to pinkish-white ash bodies with a high charcoal content that may be the remains of several interlensing hearths. The lithic remains from this layer correspond to a Classic Wilton assemblage".
"While not all of the animal remains in the deposit would have been accumulated by people, the intense degree of fragmentation and burning that characterizes the Sehonghong assemblages strongly suggests that people were responsible for acquiring almost all of the faunal remains".
"While not all of the animal remains in the deposit would have been accumulated by people, the intense degree of fragmentation and burning that characterizes the Sehonghong assemblages strongly suggests that people were responsible for acquiring almost all of the faunal remains".
Methods
Life forms: carnivores, primates, rodents, ungulates, other large mammals, other small mammals, birds, lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs, fishes, clams, snails
Sampling methods: quarry, screenwash
Sample size: 855 specimens
Sampled by: P. Mitchell
Years: 1992
Net or trap nights: 0
Basal area status: not applicable
Sampling comments: "The primary excavation of the site was conducted by P. Mitchell in 1992. All sediment removed from the deposits was dry-sieved through a 1.5 mm mesh".
"Layer GWA was removed in 14 units, producing 83 buckets of deposit".
"Layer GWA was removed in 14 units, producing 83 buckets of deposit".
Metadata
Sample no: 3980
Contributor no: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-08-25 12:52:22
Modified: 2023-05-30 01:41:21
Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
38 species
7 singletons
total count 855
geometric series index: 55.2
Fisher's α: 8.15
geometric series k: 0.8658
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8724
Shannon's H: 2.591
Good's u: 0.9918
Register
| Papio hamadryas (hamadryas baboon) | 69 | 12.0 kg |
| Chlorocebus pygerythrus (tantalus monkey) | 1 | |
| "Cercopithecus pygerythrus" | ||
| Canis mesomelas (black-backed jackal) | 4 | 7.9 kg |
| Mellivora capensis (honey badger) | 3 | 7.7 kg |
| Ichneumia albicauda | 3 | 3.4 kg |
| also 4 Herpestidae indet. | ||
| Caracal caracal (caracal) | 3 | |
| Felis lybica (African wildcat) | 1 | 4.5 kg |
| "Felis silvestris"; also 2 Felis sp. and 8 Carnivora indet. | ||
| Equus quagga (plains zebra) | 6 | |
| Procavia capensis (rock hyrax) | 179 | 2.8 kg |
| Orycteropus afer (aardvark) | 1 | 40.0 kg |
| Phacochoerus africanus (common warthog) | 4 | 82.0 kg |
| Connochaetes gnou (black wildebeest) | 19 | |
| Alcelaphus buselaphus (hartebeest) | 27 | |
| Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi (bontebok) | 1 | |
| Sylvicapra grimmia (common duiker) | 9 | 13.0 kg |
| Oreotragus oreotragus (klipspringer) | 29 | |
| Ourebia ourebi (oribi) | 10 | 14.0 kg |
| Raphicerus campestris (steenbok) | 17 | 9.7 kg |
| Pelea capreolus (grey rhebok) | 87 | 16.0 kg |
| Taurotragus oryx (common eland) | 23 | |
| "Tragelaphus oryx" | ||
| Redunca arundinum (southern reedbuck) | 10 | |
| Redunca fulvorufula (mountain reedbuck) | 27 | 29.0 kg |
| also 1 Redunca sp. and 268 Bovidae indet. | ||
| Xerus inauris | 1 | |
| Hystrix africaeaustralis | 5 | 15.0 kg |
| Pedetes capensis | 3 | 2.4 kg |
| Otomys sp. | 14 | |
| also 37 Rodentia indet. | ||
| Pronolagus rupestris | 1 | |
| also 4 Pronolagus sp. | ||
| Lepus saxatilis | 34 | 2.0 kg |
| also 2 Lepus sp. and 15 Lagomorpha indet. | ||
| Struthio camelus | 1 | 111.0 kg |
| also 4 Aves indet. | ||
| Testudinidae indet. | 3 | |
| "Tortoise" | ||
| Serpentes indet. | 2 | |
| Lacertilia indet. | 8 | |
| also 2 Reptilia indet. | ||
| Anura indet. | 7 | |
| "Frog/toad" | ||
| Achatina sp. | 207 | |
| also 1 Gastropoda indet. | ||
| Unio caffer | 8 | |
| also 88 Unionidae indet. | ||
| Labeobarbus aeneus | 22 | |
| Labeo capensis | 3 | |
| also 48 Labeoninae indet. | ||
| Austroglanis sclateri | 3 | |
| also 31 Fish indet. | ||