Preliminary results from new excavations of the Late Pleistocene occupations at Grassridge Rockshelter, South Africa.

Summary

Grassridge Rockshelter sits at the base of the Stormberg Mountains in the northern part of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This region has only been the focus of two previous major archaeological projects, with research at Grassridge last conducted in 1979 and identifying Holocene Later Stone Age and Late Pleistocene Middle Stone Age occupations.

The Grassridge Archaeological and Palaeoenvironmental Project (GAPP) renewed research at Grassridge in 2014. In this presentation, we summarise the results of the new excavations, with a focus on the Late Pleistocene occupation. Major findings include a rich lithic assemblage with abundant points and blades, frequent and overlapping burning features, ochre, fauna, and preserved plant remains. A radiocarbon date of 35,000 ± 2,200 14C years bp places Grassridge's upper Late Pleistocene occupation during a period of region-wide behavioural and technological diversity in southern Africa. GAPP's ongoing research of Grassridge's rich Late Pleistocene archive looks to contribute to a better understanding of this diversity in relation to the palaeoenvironmental, demographic, and social influences during this period.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16027