The terminal Pleistocene to middle Holocene in the interior of southern Africa is characterized by a warming trend culminating in temperatures similar to or greater than those of today. However, as more refined palaeoenvironmental sequences are produced it becomes increasingly evident that pronounced temperature fluctuations occurred during this period Studies at two contemporaneous archaeological sites in the Caledon River Valley (29?13 'S; 27?28 'E and 29?28'5; 2 7?46 'E) have yielded a proxy climatic history for the period between 13 500 and 5000 yr BP Two independent palaeoenvironmental studies, a charcoal andfaunal stable carbon isotope analysis, were carried out at each site. A comparison of the results of these two analyses indicates that more than one temperature fluctuation occurred during the terminal Pleistocene to the middle Holocene. The record suggests warming to warm temperatures at ca. 12 600-13 000 yr BP (12 925 cal. yr BP), ca. 10 000 yr BP (41 134 cal. yr BP), ca. 8500-8000 yr BP (-9051 cal. yr BP), and ca. 6000-5970 yr BP (-7000 cal. yr BP), while cooler conditions prevailed at ca. 9000-8800 yr BP (10 004 cal. yr BP) and ca. 7300-7000 yr BP (-8000 cal. yr BP). These fluctuations are compared to those recorded elsewhere, in particular those that correspond to the ca. 7300-7000 yr BP event.

Although cave paintings from the European Ice Age have gained considerable renown, for many people the term reamins full of mystery Yet it refers to perhaps the oldest form of artistic endeavour, splendid examples of which exist on all continents and from all eras Rock art stretches in time from more than forty thousand to less than forty years ago and can be found from the Arctic Circle to the tip of South America, from the caves of southern France to the American Southwest It includes animal and human figures, complex geometrical forms, and myriad mysterious markings. Illustrated in colour throughout, this book provides an engaging overview of rock art worldwide. An introductory chapter discusses the discovery of rock art by the West and the importance of landscape and ritual. Subsequent chapters survey rock art sites throughout the world, explaining how the art can be dated and how it was made. The book then explores the meaning of these often-enigmatic images, including the complex role they played in traditional societies A final chapter looks at the threats posed to rock art today by development, tourism, pollution, and other dangers, and discusses current initiatives to preserve this remarkable heritage.

Smith et al. (1991) proposed a model to distinguish the archaeological sites of Khoekhoe pastoralists from those of San. This model was based on information gathered from sites scattered over hundreds of square kilometres and several millennia. Between 1999 and 2002 we re-examined Smith et al. s (1991) model by excavating six neighbouring contemporary sites on the hill Kasteelberg. In a previous survey, three of these sites had been provisionally identified as pastoralist sites and three as forager sites. Here we present a brief comparison of the materials from these six sites. Although there are clear differences between the two sets of sites, the hypothesis that one set represents Khoekhoe herders and the other Bushman hunter-gatherers is not supported. Rather, one set of sites seems to represent a more mobile, herder-forager adaptation with a preference for inland resources while the other set appears to represent a more sedentary herder-forager adaptation with emphasis on shoreline resources. It remains to be determined how the occupants of the two sets of sites related to each other.

The Nabataean Arabs were one of the most remarkable peoples of the Ancient World but are today known only for their hauntingly beautiful rock-carved capital - Petra. Though seen most clearly at Petra, vivid traces of their creativity and control also appear in the Hejaz region of Arabia, among the wild rock formations of Wadi Rum, along trade and pilgrimage routes in the Sinai, and in towns and temples throughout Jordan and into Syria. This illustrated book recounts the story of a lost civilization - the development of their multifaceted culture, their relations with their neighbours and the demise of their kings and kingdom.