  location in South Africa  Boomplaas Cave (South Africa) | |
| Location | Cango Valley, Western Cape Province, South Africa |
|---|---|
| Region | Eden District Municipality |
| Coordinates | 33°22′14″S 22°9′31″E / 33.37056°S 22.15861°E |
| Type | Cave, Rock shelter |
| Area | 225 m2 (2,420 sq ft) |
| History | |
| Material | Precambrian limestone outcrop |
| Periods | Pleistocene, Holocene |
| Cultures | Khoikhoi |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1974 to 1979 |
| Archaeologists | R. O. Moffett, H. J. Deacon |
Boomplaas Cave is located in the Cango Valley in the foothills of the Swartberg mountain range, north of Oudtshoorn, Eden District Municipality in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. It has a 5 m (16 ft) deep stratified archaeological sequence of human presence, occupation and hunter-gatherer/herder acculturation that might date back as far as 80,000 years.[1][2][3] The site's documentation contributed to the reconstruction of palaeo-environments in the context of changes in climate within periods of the Late Pleistocene (11,700 - 129,000 years BP) and the Holocene (since 12,000 years BP). The cave has served multiple functions during its occupation, such as a kraal (enclosure) for animals, a place for the storage of oil rich fruits and as a hunting camp. Circular stone hearths and calcified dung remains of domesticated sheep as well as stone adzes and pottery art (painted stones) were excavated indicating that humans lived at the site and kept animals.[4][5][6]
- ^ Pargeter, Justin; Loftus, Emma; Mackay, Alex; Mitchell, Peter; Stewart, Brian (2018-04-03). "New ages from Boomplaas Cave, South Africa, provide increased resolution on late/terminal Pleistocene human behavioural variability". Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa. 53 (2): 156–184. doi:10.1080/0067270X.2018.1436740. ISSN 0067-270X.
- ^ Deacon, H. J. (1979-02-01). "Excavations at Boomplaas cave - a sequence through the upper Pleistocene and Holocene in South Africa". World Archaeology. 10 (3): 241–257. doi:10.1080/00438243.1979.9979735. ISSN 0043-8243.
- ^ Deacon, H. J. (1995). "Two Late Pleistocene-Holocene Archaeological Depositories from the Southern Cape, South Africa". The South African Archaeological Bulletin. 50 (162): 121–131. doi:10.2307/3889061. ISSN 0038-1969. JSTOR 3889061.
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