Beyond the drip-line: a high-resolution open-air Holocene hunter-gatherer sequence from highland Lesotho

Mitchell, Peter; Plug, Ina; Bailey, Geoff; Charles, Ruth; Esterhuysen, Amanda; Thorp, Julia Lee; Parker, Adrian; Woodborne, Stephan

doi:10.1017/s0003598x00062025

Cited by 22 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…7,41,47,48 For the highest altitude sites, such as Belleview, Moshebi's Shelter and Ha Soloja (Figure 1), occupation ceases during known periods of very cold conditions, most recently the LGM 16,47,50 . Occupation resumes during warm periods, as is most clearly noted for Likoaeng 16,47,50,52 . For lower altitude sites, including Sehonghong and Melikane (Figure 1), there remains evidence of occupation throughout very cold periods including the LGM, although some scholars suggest this evidence of occupation reflects visits of short duration for hunting purposes 46,53 .…”

Section: The Archaeological Recordmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Higher resolution seasonal occupation is evident from Likoaeng, where fish bones provide evidence of deliberate occupation of a site timed by recurrent biological events 9,50-52 . The late Holocene deposits at this site are dominated by very large numbers of fish bones (1.3 million counted), suggesting that the site was occupied specifically to intercept the spawning runs 52 . The species of fish from these deposits demonstrate a marked shift in dominance from smallmouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus aeneus) to Orange River mudfish (Labeo capensis) over time, with Orange River mudfish accounting for the majority of fish bones after 560 cal yr BP 51 .…”

Section: The Archaeological Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This in turn is supported by documentary records for the 19th century from eastern Lesotho, which record particularly cold conditions 57 . There are three main examples of seasonal occupation shifts in eastern Lesotho: Sehonghong and Melikane 43,47 ; Belleview and lower-altitude sites in KwaZulu-Natal 42 ; and Likoaeng 51,52 . Sehonghong and Melikane are both situated on the Senqu/Orange River, but Sehonghong has a considerably colder climate as it is west-facing, compared with the north-facing Melikane 16,52 .…”

Section: The Archaeological Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The species of fish from these deposits demonstrate a marked shift in dominance from smallmouth yellowfish (Labeobarbus aeneus) to Orange River mudfish (Labeo capensis) over time, with Orange River mudfish accounting for the majority of fish bones after 560 cal yr BP 51 . As these fish have different spawning times, centred in mid-summer for smallmouth yellowfish and early spring for Orange River mudfish, the timing of occupation of Likoaeng demonstrates preferences for different spawning groups -based most likely on the availability of food elsewhere 51,52 . Over longer time periods, occupation at Likoaeng appears to have been interrupted primarily by periods of flooding rather than changes in temperature or snowfall.…”

Section: The Archaeological Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over longer time periods, occupation at Likoaeng appears to have been interrupted primarily by periods of flooding rather than changes in temperature or snowfall. 52 The palaeoenvironmental significance of these occupation pulses identified in the archaeological record, together with evidence of seasonal movement between sites, implies that an ameliorating climate would have been necessary for these Stone Age occupants of high-altitude sites to survive 7 . Although it seems reasonable that these occupation pulses and seasonal movements were driven predominantly by climatic changes in the eastern Lesotho highlands, it is impossible to quantify the extent of any climatic influence or to account for all non-environmental drivers 7,55 .…”

Section: The Archaeological Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

multi-disciplinary review of late Quaternary palaeoclimates and environments for Lesotho

Fitchett¹,

Grab²,

Bamford³

et al. 2016

S. Afr. J. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lesotho provides a unique context for palaeoclimatic research. The small country is entirely landlocked by South Africa, yet has considerable variation in topography, climate, and associated vegetation over an approximate east-west transect. The region has been of archaeological interest for over a century, and hosts many Early to Late Stone Age sites with occupation preceding 80 000 years before present. The eastern Lesotho highlands are of interest to periglacial and glacial geomorphologists because of their well-preserved relict landforms and contentious evidence for permafrost and niche glaciation during the late Quaternary. However, continuous proxy records for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions for Lesotho are scarce and hampered by a range of methodological shortfalls. These challenges include uncertain ages, poor sampling resolution, and proxies extracted from archaeological excavations for which there may be bias in selection. Inferences on palaeoclimates are thus based predominantly on archaeological and palaeogeomorphological evidence for discrete periods during the late Quaternary. This review paper presents a more detailed multidisciplinary synthesis of late Quaternary conditions in Lesotho. We simultaneously considered the varying data that contribute to the under-studied palaeoenvironmental record for southern Africa. The collective palaeoenvironmental data for eastern Lesotho were shown to be relatively contradictory, with considerable variations in contemporaneous palaeoclimatic conditions within the study area. We argue that although methodological challenges may contribute to this variation, the marked changes in topography result in contrasting late Quaternary palaeoenvironments. Such environments are characterised by similar contrasting microclimates and niche ecologies as are witnessed in the contemporary landscape. These spatial variations within a relatively small landlocked country are of importance in understanding broader southern African palaeoenvironmental change.

show abstract

Section: The Archaeological Recordmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: The Archaeological Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Archaeological Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Archaeological Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Archaeological Recordmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

multi-disciplinary review of late Quaternary palaeoclimates and environments for Lesotho

Fitchett¹,

Grab²,

Bamford³

et al. 2016

S. Afr. J. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

If a fish comes out of the river and speaks, we should believe it: South African perspective on fish kills

Burnett,

O'Brien,

Blackmore

et al. 2024

River Research & Apps

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In South Africa, fish kill events are increasing in frequency because of multiple stressors associated with managing natural resources. Despite the ecosystem services associated with fish, South Africa's progressive legislation towards environmental protection seems to negate the management of fish kills. In this study, we provide an overview of reports and regulations associated with acute pollution spills resulting in fish kill events in South Africa. In addition, we highlight the implication of these using a fish kill event from 2019 on the Msunduzi River, South Africa, as a case study. The fish kill on the Msunduzi River showed a decline in relative abundance by up to 41%, and its ecological condition was already impaired by poor management. The poor condition of the Msunduzi River has jeopardised the recovery of the fish populations, and intervention is needed to restore the fish population that includes species red‐listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. We found that despite the severity of fish kills and the detriment to the fish fauna, including near‐threatened species, there is a general apathy, incapacity and lack of knowledge on managing fish kills in South Africa. In addition, although several legislated Acts have good intentions for protecting nature, they do not align and show that a fish kill is an afterthought rather than a need to prevent. Poor management practices have exacerbated this in an already stressed state from excessive use of environmental water. As a way forward, the alignment of the various Acts associated with various ministerial departments in South Africa is needed so that better protection of the environment may occur. Finally, we argue that the African proverb ‘If the fish comes out of the river to tell you that the crocodile has one eye, you should believe it’ is not considered when managing water resources and that with the present ecological state and water resource use there may be no fish to ‘come out of the water’ warning us that our water is unsafe even for human consumption and use.

show abstract

San Great Dance

Campbell

2024

Encyclopedia of Religious Psychology and Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Beyond the drip-line: a high-resolution open-air Holocene hunter-gatherer sequence from highland Lesotho

Cited by 22 publications

References 24 publications

multi-disciplinary review of late Quaternary palaeoclimates and environments for Lesotho

multi-disciplinary review of late Quaternary palaeoclimates and environments for Lesotho

If a fish comes out of the river and speaks, we should believe it: South African perspective on fish kills

San Great Dance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About