A collection of Phacochoerus aethiopicus teeth from the Kalkbank middle stone age site, central Transvaal

Abstract

A Middle Stone Age site at Kalkbank, near Pietersburg in the northern Transvaal, has recently been excavated for the Archaeological Survey by R. Mason: a description of the site and the archaeological findings is shortly to be published (Mason, in press). In addition to the cultural material, animal remains are abundant; the present paper deals with the Suid material which has been found at Kalkbank. This consists of a large collection of teeth, almost all isolated, comprising (apart from much damaged fragments) 53 reasonably complete third, 29 second and 10 first molars, together with 29 upper and 25 lower canines and a single last milk molar. As will be shown later, this material is all referable to the extinct Phacochoerus aethiopicus (Pallas). It constitutes the best collection of material of this species from a single locality that is at present available for study, and therefore adds something to our knowledge of the characteristics of the dentition of this species.