The Excavation at Pinnacle Point
South Africa 2013
In the summers of 2011, 2012, and 2013, UTA students and faculty participated in the excavation of Pinnacle Point site 5/6, a project headed by Dr. Curtis Marean (Arizona State University) and part of the SACP4 (South African Coastal Paleoclimate, Paleoenvironment, Paleoecology, Paleoanthropology) Initiative. Pinnacle Point is a world-renowned Middle Stone Age locality that has produced the earliest evidence (at 162 kya) for systematic shell-fish exploitation, lithic heat treatment, and the production of microliths. The site of PP5/6 (one of several cave sites used by ancient humans at this locality), dates from about 90 kya at the base, to 54 kya at the top of the currently excavated section. This video from the 2013 field season shows some of the day to day operations on the archaeological site. Curtis Marean narrates and provides background, and excavators talk about their roles in the work. UTA participants visible in the video include Dr. Naomi Cleghorn, Daniel Peart, Lori Phillips, and Christopher Shelton. Video produced by Martin Hatchuel.
This period of the South African archaeological record is particularly interesting because it spans at least two key technological developments: the appearance of the earliest microlithic technology (currently unique to the site), and the appearance and disappearance of the enigmatic Howiesons Poort industry. Why did early humans develop these rather costly (in terms of high quality raw materials) industries, and why did they later abandon them after only a few thousand years and return to larger flake and blade technology? What effect, if any, did the periodic exposure of a vast coastal plain to the south of the cave have on these technological strategies?
For additional information about this site, see:http://scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=when-the-sea-saved-humanity