Chronology, stratigraphy and spatial distribution of artefacts at Hollow Rock Shelter, Cape Province, South Africa

• Excavated in 1993, Hollow Rock Shelter was the first site, together with Blombos Cave, to present stratified sediments with a lithic assem- blage that could be regarded as belonging to the Still Bay Industry. This made Hollow Rock Shelter a well-known site and a standard reference in discussions of the dating, description and interpretation of the South African Middle Stone Age. Yet, even though results from analysis of the lithic assemblage and excavations conducted at the site have been published, aspects of chronology, stratigraphy and the distribution of artefacts at Hollow Rock Shelter are not clear. The reason is that the site and its lithic assemblages were never fully analysed. With this paper I investigate what is known and what is not known about the site. Based on the results, I discuss suggestions for further future analysis. I conclude that renewed analysis needs to be performed to fully understand the Hollow Rock Shelter site and its relation to other Middle Stone Age sites. 

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Arkeologi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- Archaeology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Hollow Rock Shelter

Still Bay

Chronology

Strati- graphy

Spatial distribution

Arkeologi

Archaeology

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)