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Geological and Archeological Insight into Site Formation Processes and Acheulean Occupation at Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape Province, South Africa

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Abstract

Wonderwerk Cave, located in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, is a rare cave site with a sequence of Acheulean occupation that is derived from activity within the cave rather than via avens. Building on previous publication of the sedimentary context for the Acheulean sequence based on the North Profile of Excavation 1 at Wonderwerk Cave, we present here new observations based on micromorphological analysis of the Southern Profile of Excavation 1 and the Acheulean component of Excavation 2, along with preliminary observations on the context of artifact deposition based on renewed high-precision excavation. The results largely support earlier observations including the low density of artifacts, the aeolian contribution to the sediments, and the absence of water transport within the cave. New observations are primarily the presence of a significant component of rhizoliths in the South Profile that appear to be the result of the penetration of roots into the cave from the surface of the hill. This study adds significantly to our understanding of site formation processes and hominin activity during the Acheulean at the front of the cave. However, these remain limited windows into a much larger system that will require continued investigation.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. All archaeological collections are curated by the McGregor Museum Kimberley.

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Acknowledgements

Our gratitude to Phillip Hine, Ragna Redelstorff, and Elijah Dumisani Katsetse of the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) for their assistance. All research at Wonderwerk Cave is undertaken in collaboration with the McGregor Museum, where collections are curated. Our gratitude to David Morris, Sunet Swanepoel, and Abenicia Henderson. Marion Bamford provided invaluable input on the trees of the region that might be the source of the identified rhizoliths. This work is a component of the Wonderwerk Cave Research Project and we would like to thank Michaela Ecker for her role in develo** the site database and Matthew Shaw, Candice Shaw, Dores Marin Monfort, Erin Vermeulen, and, Zoe Heleiner for excavation and sample collection. Finally, we thank the reviewers, especially the thoughtful and helpful comments of Dominic Stratford, which substantially helped to refine the content and interpretations.

Funding

Research funded by grants from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). SER was supported by ICArEHB–The interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under program UIDP/04211/2020.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie (INA), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Paul Goldberg

  2. CAS–SEALS, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia

    Paul Goldberg

  3. ICArEHB–The Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behaviour, Universidade Do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal

    Paul Goldberg & Sara E. Rhodes

  4. The Archaeology Center, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, 19 Ursula Franklin Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S2, Canada

    Sara E. Rhodes

  5. Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, 19 Ursula Franklin Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S2, Canada

    Michael Chazan

  6. Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa

    Michael Chazan

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Contributions

All authors wrote the main manuscript text. PG collected micromorphological samples, described the sedimentary sequence in the field, and carried out the micromorphological analysis. MC is responsible for the archaeological excavation and reporting of archaeological observations. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Michael Chazan.

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All research undertaken under permit from the South African Heritage Resources Agency.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Supplementary Information

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41982_2023_157_MOESM1_ESM.tif

Supplementary file1. Figure 1 Diagram showing the vertical positions of the micromorphology samples and units discussed in this article along an East-West axis. Note that the scale for the vertical axis is twice the scale for the horizontal axis (TIF 713 KB)

41982_2023_157_MOESM2_ESM.tif

Supplementary file2. Figure 2 Large canvas showing selection of thin section scans and photomicrographs from profiles discussed in the text (TIF 21959 KB)

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Goldberg, P., Rhodes, S.E. & Chazan, M. Geological and Archeological Insight into Site Formation Processes and Acheulean Occupation at Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. J Paleo Arch 6, 33 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41982-023-00157-9

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