A comparative archaeological study of two colonial-period farm middens in the Sneeuberg, Eastern Cape

Abstract

The main goal of this research was to investigate and compare the consumption practices of the settlers who lived on two farms, Groenvlei and Rondefontein, in the Sneeuberg area of the Eastern Cape, between the 18th century and the 20th century. A secondary goal was to investigate the interaction of these settlers with the indigenous people of the area and whether indigenous practices had any influence on settler consumption practices. To achieve these goals, excavations were undertaken on both farms in middens of comparable historical contexts, within the framework of household archaeology. The artefacts recovered from these excavations were analysed and were used to make inferences about diet and consumption practices on both farms. It was found that the inhabitants of Rondefontein were likely wealthier than those of Groenvlei, possibly due to economic success related to a wool boom in the 1850s. It seems that the inhabitants of both farms benefited from the economic success of the Graaff-Reinet district from the 1870s to the 1890s as evidenced by an increase in wealth on both farms. Furthermore, it appears that the inhabitants of Groenvlei suffered financially from the 1890s onwards whereas the inhabitants of Rondefontein continued to prosper. The investigation of consumption patterns through household archaeology was a successful approach and the analysis of middens was an effective method for household archaeology. Although it was a secondary goal of this project, no evidence of interaction or indigenous influence of settler consumption patterns was evident on either farm.