Earlier stone age archaeology of the Vhembe-Dongola National Park (South Africa) and vicinity

South of the modern Limpopo River near its confluence with the Shashe, gravels associated with an ancient aggrading terrace of the river attracted Earlier Stone Age (ESA) occupations preserved in the Vhembe-Dongola National Park of South Africa. Artefacts from late ESA occupations were deflated onto substrates of cemented Miocene terrace sediments and sandstone bedrock and today lie buried by fine, non-alluvial sands of Holocene age. Artefacts are eroding from these sands, which cap a 3 km long escarpment forming the northern edge of the remnant terrace. Close to the escarpment, large-scale excavation has exposed an artefact accumulation with parallels to the Sangoan industry (or Charaman in one proposed industrial sequence). Test-pitting of the sand cover across 10 km2 has been conducted along the escarpment and southwards in sediments that overlie both sandstone and calcrete. Buried artefacts are preserved at many locations but the more informative sites occur at deep sediment traps formed by hilly sandstone outcrops (koppies). At one such location, Later and Middle Stone Age artefacts also occur. Analysis of the cultural phases present on this landscape and OSL dating of the deeper deposits is underway to document the Pleistocene and Holocene periods when this semi-arid, drought-prone environment was habitable for Stone Age populations.