Revisiting the current phyto-scape of Boomplaas Cave (South Africa) and the possible implications of this for past day-range foraging

Abstract

ABSTRACT Boomplaas Cave in the Western Cape Province of South Africa is one of only a few African sites with inland archaeological deposits spanning Marine Isotope Stages 4–1. Work conducted half a century ago predicted Boomplaas to be a meagre plant-food location. We reassess this interpretation here by presenting updated lists of the current vegetation and foodplants growing within roughly a day’s foraging distance from the cave. By doing so, we increase the known foodplant species potentially available to Stone Age foragers by 356% and show that almost all the plant species/genera in the Boomplaas archaeobotanical assemblage still grow within a day’s range of the site. We present nutritional values for some of the plant foods, highlighting those richest in moisture, ash, protein, fat, fibre, carbohydrates and energy and suggesting that such foods may have been important staples in the dietary ecology of the Stone Age foragers who used the site. Lastly, we demonstrate that the Boomplaas Cave foodplant fitness landscape is relatively rich and varied compared to similar data from other Cape sites such as Klasies River Main Cave, Diepkloof Rock Shelter and Hollow Rock Shelter.