Excavations at Cave 13B, Pinnacle Point at Mossel Bay, South Africa: Faunal Exploitation, Raw Material Procurement, and Organization of Domestic Space During the Middle Stone Age

在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，柯蒂斯·马里恩博士于2000年7月对南非西开普省莫塞尔湾附近的三个洞穴进行了探索性考古调查。该项目是由考古项目提供的高风险探索性赠款资助的。这些调查的目的是评估几个洞穴是否适合进行更深入的挖掘。其中两个洞穴被证明有保存非常完好的考古沉积物，可以追溯到中石器时代，化石骨头保存得很好。发现了两个原始人类化石，这表明进一步的调查可能会产生更多的结果，并为目前的小样本做出贡献。此外，壁炉等特征保存完好，还发现了赭石铅笔，这表明居住者曾参与过象征性的活动。根据这些结果，马里恩博士将在美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation）的支持下，对其中一个名为13B的洞穴进行更深入的挖掘。这项研究是广泛的国际和跨学科研究的一部分，旨在理解从“古代”到“现代”人类行为的文化转变。这项研究的重点是25万到3万年前的时间间隔，主要涉及在欧亚大陆和非洲工作的学者。迄今为止，证据主要来自欧洲，在过去的100年里，科学家们一直在那里集中研究。这项研究的结果使许多科学家认为，我们与现代人联系在一起的现代人类文化的那些方面首先出现在4万年前不久之后。这些现代性的指标包括艺术表现和宗教的存在所暗示的象征行为，以及复杂的社会结构，如来自遥远来源的原材料的存在所表明的贸易网络。最近，来自非洲大陆（尤其是南非沿海地区）样本不足的新结果表明，这些现代性的指标可能比欧亚大陆出现得更早，而这条曾经安全的卢比孔河在4万年前可能是非洲证据不足的经验记录的产物。该项目旨在扩大非洲在这一关键转变方面的记录。莫塞尔湾的发掘工作应该有助于我们更可靠地了解这些事件发生在非洲的时间。对出土材料的分析将侧重于原材料的地球化学分析，以调查贸易网络；对人工制品和动物遗骸的空间分析，以调查社会活动的组织；对动物遗骸的分析，以了解狩猎行为的复杂性。

With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Curtis Marean conducted exploratory archaeological investigations in July of 2000 of three caves near Mossel Bay in the Western Cape province of South Africa. That project was funded by the high risk exploratory grants provided by the Archaeology Program. The goal of those investigations was to evaluate the suitability of several caves for more intensive excavations. Two of those caves proved to have very well preserved archaeological sediments dating to the Middle Stone Age, with excellent fossil bone preservation. Two hominid fossils were found, suggesting that further investigations could yield more and contribute to a currently small sample. Furthermore, features such as hearths are well preserved, and ochre pencils were found, suggesting that the occupants had been involved in symbolic activities. Based on those results, Dr. Marean will conduct with National Science Foundation support more intensive excavations at one of those caves, named Cave 13B.This study is part of a wide ranging international and interdisciplinary research effort that seeks to understand the cultural transition from "archaic" to "modern" human behavior. This research effort, focusing on the interval of time between about 250,000 and 30,000 years ago, involves scholars working primarily in Eurasia and Africa. To date the evidence has been dominated by that from Europe, where scientists have been working intensively for the last 100 years. The results of that research have led many scientists to argue that those aspects of modern human culture that we associate with modern people appear first shortly after 40,000 years ago. These indicators of modernity include such things as symboling behavior as suggested by the presence of artistic expression and religion, and complex social structures such as trade networks as indicated by the presence of raw materials from distant sources. Recently, new results from the poorly sampled African continent, particularly in coastal South Africa, suggest that these indicators of modernity may have appeared earlier there than in Eurasia, and that this once-secure Rubicon at 40,000 years ago may be an artifact of an empirical record weak in African evidence. This project seeks to expand the African record for this crucial transition. The excavations at Mossel Bay should help provide a more secure understanding of the timing of these events in Africa. The analysis of the excavated materials will focus on geochemical analyses of raw materials to investigate trade networks, spatial analysis of the artifacts and faunal remains relative to hearth placement to investigate the organization of social activities, and faunal remains to understand the sophistication of hunting behavior.