A microcontextual investigation of combustion features from Middle Stone Age sites in South Africa

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This project will apply multiple analytical techniques to the investigation of combustion features produced by Middle Stone Age humans at two sites in southern Africa: Diepkloof Rock Shelter (Western Cape, South Africa) and Sibudu (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa). These sites share the distinction of being the only sites excavated with modern techniques in southern Africa that contain pre-Stillbay, Stillbay, Howiesons Poort, and post-Howiesons Poort occupations in single stratigraphic sequences. Therefore, these sites offer a unique opportunity to investigate the cultural evolution of Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH) during the Middle Stone Age. The several-meter-thick sequences at both Sibudu and Diepkloof are composed almost exclusively of beds and laminations of materials burnt as a result of human activity (e.g. charcoal, ash and other combustion residues). The form, composition and frequency of these features change throughout both sequences, suggesting that the role of fire in the domestic lives of the Middle Stone Age occupants was dynamic and variable. The proposed research project combines micromorphology, micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (µFTIR), organic petrology, and paleobotanical studies within a microcontextual approach to investigate the nature and formation history of these combustion features. The results of this study will be fully integrated with other ongoing analyses of the archaeological record from both sites, including lithic artifact, faunal and botanical studies. The integrated results will be used to develop a holistic interpretation of behavioral change related to fire use during the Middle Stone Age of South Africa.