Refitting evidence for the stratigraphic integrity of the Kudu Koppie Early to Middle Stone Age site, northern Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Stone Age sites that demonstrate long sequences of occupation that span the Earlier through to the Later Stone Age are uncommon in southern Africa. The site of Kudu Koppie, in the Mapungubwe National Park of Limpopo Province, South Africa has evidence for extended and intense occupation by prehistoric populations in the context of a talus slope deposit adjacent to the Koppie itself. This paper describes the use of refitting of late Earlier Stone Age (ESA) and Middle Stone Age (MSA) lithics to address issues of stratigraphic integrity and taphonomy in a slope deposit context. Specifically, it is shown that approximately 80% of all refits fall with a vertical separation of between 0 and 10 cm. It is concluded that lithics associated with Kudu Koppie have not been greatly affected by post-depositional disturbances and therefore the material represents the general discard patterns of groups occupying the site between the late ESA and MSA periods. As such, this study provides additional evidence for earlier interpretations of the stratigraphic integrity of archaeological deposits at the site.