Goldsmith’s: Preliminary Study of a newly discovered Pleistocene site near Sterkfontein.

Abstract

Goldsmith’s is a newly discovered fossil and archaeological site 4km south-west of the famous Sterkfontein Cave Site, in the buffer zone of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. It preserves one of the rare occurrences in South African fossil cave sites of stone artefacts with associated fossil fauna. Thirteen artefacts from two Stone Age cultures are represented within the site: namely the Earlier Stone Age and the Middle Stone Age. Eleven stone artefacts represent the Earlier Stone Age, dated to ca, 2-1 million years within the Sterkfontein Valley sites, while two artefacts represent the MSA. The stone tools from both cultures are not embedded in breccia and may have originated from decalcified breccias, or alternatively from slope wash. Various faunal taxa were recovered including bovids, primates, carnivores and others. Carnivores are the most highly represented, followed by bovids. Analysis of bone surface modifications indicate that the majority of the bones are slightly weathered, and some bone specimens are also abraded, suggesting that they may have accumulated through slope wash. The high frequencies of carnivore remains, including Dinofelis and a representation of most carnivore body parts, support a possible death trap scenario. The fauna suggests a palaeoenvironment with open woodland or savannah within the vicinity of a closed environment.