Intertidal shellfish as a source of protein and energy for the Middle Stone Age inhabitants of the southwestern Cape and northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Intertidal mussels, limpets and oysters have been utilized as food by the prehistoric inhabitants of South African coastal regions since at least the Last Interglacial (130 ka). There is, however, little current information on their macronutrient content and nutritional value. In this paper, I present new, quantitative information on the protein, fat and energy content of two limpet and one mussel species from the Atlantic west coast (Cymbula granatina, Scutellastra granularis and Choromytilus meridionalis) and one mussel, one oyster and one limpet species from the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal (Perna perna, Saccostrea culcullata and Patella concolor). The results of nutrient analyses show that many of these shellfish contain relatively large amounts of protein, fat and energy. When discussed alongside patterns in the archaeological record, these findings have important implications for our understanding of coastal foraging during the Middle Stone Age. Nutritional information and archaeological evidence indicate that simple marine molluscs were a significant source of protein and, to a lesser extent, energy, for the prehistoric inhabitants of the Atlantic west coast. In contrast, despite the good macronutrient returns of some species, shellfish were not a significant source of protein or energy for the Middle Stone Age occupants of Sibudu Cave in KwaZulu-Natal.