Middle Stone Age technological organisation: lithic extraction at Swartkop Hill in the interior of Namaqualand, Northern Cape, South Africa

Abstract

Heritage assessments commissioned by commercial mines within the broader ambit of South Africa's environmental and heritage legislative requirements have essentially driven archaeological research in Namaqualand. We demonstrate here how mitigation of heritage resources conducted according to specific imperatives and within compressed time frames is compatible with academic standards of research. A Middle Stone Age (MSA) quarry in Namaqualand was successfully mitigated prior to mining. Investigations at the inland locality of Swartkop Hill recorded extensive raw material extraction. Episodic procurement and knapping activities conducted at outcrops of metamorphosed chalcedonies resulted in high densities of lithics. Technological organisation took advantage of outcrops with quality toolstone while field processing reduced carrying loads. The assemblage probably dates to the southern African MSA 3 that falls within Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (~60 to 25 ka). Surprisingly high numbers of awls reflect functional considerations and the incipient development of a regional style.