Seal bones as indicators of the timing and duration of hunter-gatherer coastal visits

Abstract

This study addresses the seasonality and duration of seal hunting at archaeological sites near Elands Bay on the west coast of South Africa. Mandible dimensions of modern seals are used to establish a method of determining the age at death of seals from archaeological sites. Cape Fur Seals have a restricted birth season. Relating the age of archaeological specimens to the date of birth provides the season of death, and hence the season of occupation of the sites. The distribution of seasonal determinations through the year and the coherence between predictions for first and second year animals provide an indication of the duration of sealing. A change from the exploitation of second year animals during the early Holocene to the exploitation of first year animals during the late Holocene is noted. This is associated with a change from occupation without any seasonal focus, to occupation most likely during the spring months of August to November. The changes in the age structure and the seasonal signature of the Elands Bay seal assemblages are related to changes in the environment as the sea level rose during the Holocene, and to changes in the mobility patterns of the inhabitants of the region.