A cluster of Pleistocene hominin ichnosites on South Africa’s Cape South Coast

Abstract

Seven Pleistocene tracksites and two lithic sites, identified with varying degrees of confidence and attributed to Homo sapiens, have been identified in aeolianite deposits along a 1200 m coastal stretch at Brenton-on-Sea on South Africa’s Cape south coast. Some sites contain more than one track- or trace-bearing layer, and each site is from a geological different unit. The aeolianites adjacent to the ichnosites that have been dated span an age range from 113 ± 8 ka to 76 ± 5 ka. Globally, hominin tracks preserved in aeolianites are rare, as are tracks preserved in hyporelief, which are observed at several of the Brenton-on-Sea sites. Clusters of hominin tracksites older than 40 ka are also rare. The sites represent groups of hominins of different sizes traversing dune fields, sometimes jogging or using sticks, and provide details of their tool-making and diet. The ichnological record thus complements the extensive and globally significant archaeological record from the region. The likely presence of nearby accessible caves, and a shoreline that was not too distant, provide an explanation for the profusion of ichnosites and their registration over millennia.