Abstract
A description is presented of palaeoenvironmental changes at three archaeological sites in central South Africa, covering approximately the last 140 000 years. The reconstructions are based on lithofacies analyses of palaeolake sediments, on micro- and megafaunal remains, on pollen data and on archaeological evidence from the late Earlier Stone Age onward. The sequence at Florisbad, for which the most detailed stratigraphy is presented, shows that drastic changes took place from the last cold stage of the penultimate ice age onward, ranging from alpine to temperate and periodically to cold desert conditions. Three unconformities in the profile and lack of dating beyond the radiocarbon limit prevent the setting up of an absolute time scale. The combined results from two other sites, Wonderwerk Cave and Kathu Pan, give a concise picture of changes during the Holocene from dry scrubland to thornveld savanna, then reversion to karroid vegetation and finally to present-day savanna.
Published Version
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