Wonderwerk Cave (excavation 2, stratum 2)
Basic information
Sample name: Wonderwerk Cave (excavation 2, stratum 2)
Reference: M. Chazan, F. Berna, J. Brink, M. Ecker, S. Holt, N. Porat, J. L. Thorp, and L. K. Horwitz. 2020. Archeology, environment, and chronology of the early Middle Stone Age component of Wonderwerk Cave. Journal of Paleolithic Archaeology 3:302-335 [ER 3866]
Geography
Country: South Africa
State: Northern Cape
Coordinate: 28° 51' 42" S, 24° 33' 14" E
Latlng basis: based on nearby landmark
Time interval: Middle Pleistocene
Max Ma: 0.238
Min Ma: 0.153
Age basis: OSL
Geography comments: "between the towns of Danielskuil and Kuruman" (coordinate given by Wikipedia)
there are four OSL dates on the stratum ranging from 238 +/- 13 to 153 +/- 15 kyr and four U/Th dates, the two precise ones being 97 +/- 3 and 168 +/- 14 kyr; the authors appear to favour the OSL dates
there are four OSL dates on the stratum ranging from 238 +/- 13 to 153 +/- 15 kyr and four U/Th dates, the two precise ones being 97 +/- 3 and 168 +/- 14 kyr; the authors appear to favour the OSL dates
Environment
Lithology: sandstone
Taphonomic context: carnivore accumulation, cave, human accumulation, rodent accumulation
Archaeology: stone tools
Habitat comments: "This layer is 18 cm thick, composed of dark tan sand, locally laminated and locally discolored to black or off-white... It contains rare light-gray rounded gravel" and there was "a nearby body of water or seasonally dry lake" that provided the sediments
"many bones in the assemblage are burnt... and/or have been modified by carnivore and porcupine damage... copious quantities of hyaena coprolites were found" so carnivores "may have served as vectors for the introduction of some prey species into the cave" and it is fair to infer this is also a porcupine accumulation, although the authors take no position
the lithic assemblage "consists of 132 detached pieces" and the faunal assemblage "reflects of a range of subsistence activities including trapping of small reptiles and mammals" and "hunting" of larger ones
"many bones in the assemblage are burnt... and/or have been modified by carnivore and porcupine damage... copious quantities of hyaena coprolites were found" so carnivores "may have served as vectors for the introduction of some prey species into the cave" and it is fair to infer this is also a porcupine accumulation, although the authors take no position
the lithic assemblage "consists of 132 detached pieces" and the faunal assemblage "reflects of a range of subsistence activities including trapping of small reptiles and mammals" and "hunting" of larger ones
Methods
Life forms: carnivores, primates, rodents, ungulates, other large mammals, other small mammals, birds, turtles
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 167 specimens
Net or trap nights: 0
Basal area status: not applicable
Sampling comments: 57 indeterminate bovids in four size classes are also listed
Metadata
Sample no: 4241
Contributor no: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2023-04-21 14:34:02
Modified: 2023-04-21 04:41:56
Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
22 species
5 singletons
total count 167
geometric series index: 39.2
Fisher's α: 6.783
geometric series k: 0.8235
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8261
Shannon's H: 2.2867
Good's u: 0.9704
Register
| Hystrix africaeaustralis | 4 | 15.0 kg |
| Pedetes capensis | 1 | 2.4 kg |
| "Pedetes pedetes" or "springhare" | ||
| Leporidae indet. 1 | 1 | |
| "Lepus capensis size": also two entirely indeterminate leporids | ||
| Leporidae indet. 2 | 4 | |
| "Pronolagus rupestris size" | ||
| Papio cf. hamadryas (hamadryas baboon) | 1 | 12.0 kg |
| Canis mesomelas (black-backed jackal) | 2 | 7.9 kg |
| plus nine canids of the same size | ||
| Proteles cristatus (aardwolf) | 2 | |
| plus one hyaenid bone and "numerous hyena coprolites" | ||
| Procavia capensis | 24 | 2.8 kg |
| Equus sp. | 14 | |
| possibly including "Hipparion" | ||
| Rhinocerotidae indet. | 1 | |
| Tragelaphus strepsiceros (greater kudu) | 4 | 189.0 kg |
| Kobus leche (lechwe) | 2 | |
| plus one indeterminate Hippotragini | ||
| Damaliscus cf. pygargus phillipsi (bontebok) | 3 | |
| plus five indeterminate Alcelaphini and four compared to Damaliscus | ||
| Alcelaphus buselaphus (hartebeest) | 4 | |
| Connochaetes taurinus (blue wildebeest) | 2 | 202.0 kg |
| Antidorcas marsupialis (springbok) | 2 | 40.0 kg |
| plus four indeterminate Antilopini | ||
| Raphicerus campestris (steenbok) | 6 | 9.7 kg |
| plus six indeterminate Neotragini | ||
| Pelea capreolus (grey rhebok) | 3 | 16.0 kg |
| Oreotragus oreotragus (klipspringer) | 1 | |
| Stigmochelys pardalis | 59 | |
| Aves indet. | 8 | |
| small | ||
| Struthio camelus | 19 | 111.0 kg |
| eggshell | ||