Browsing by Author "Mazel, Aron D"

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    People making history : the last ten thousand years of hunter-gatherer communities in the Thukela Basin
    (1988) Mazel, Aron D; Parkington, John
    The primary aim of this thesis is to document and explain the 10 000 BP AD 1800 history of the Thukela Basin hunter-gatherers. The primary information for this study comes from my excavation, between 1981 and 1984, of eight rock shelters in the upper Thukela catchment. My aims and theoretical orientation have altered substantially since the project's ,inception. They have changed from being concerned primarily with ecological phenomena to the reconstruction of a regional social history. As part of this redefinition I have developed a critique of South African Later Stone Age (LSA) studies from the early 1960s, arguing that the predominant, ecological, approaches of this period are inadequate in dealing with past human societies. My reasons for adopting a socially orientated historical approach concern the social relevance of archaeology, and the need to generate the best possible insights into past societies. I submit that historical materialism offers a very valuable framework for social historical analysis. The theoretical propositions germane to this study are presented. I then concentrate specifically on Thukela Basirr hunter-gatherer history. The periods dating to before and after 2000 BP are dealt with separately because of the arrival of farmers in the Thukela Basin around AD 500.
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    Up and down the little berg: archaeological resource managment in the Natal Drakensberg
    (1981) Mazel, Aron D
    The overriding aim of this project was to obtain accurate and detailed information on the rock art and associated Late Stone Age deposits that occur in the rockshelters of the Natal Drakensberg. The emphasis though, was undoubtedly to be rock art. These data were primarily intended for management planning but are also of importance as pure research and permanently stored data. Therefore the project was principally aimed at the following: 1. establishing accurately the localities of as many rock art and other archaeological sites that occur in the Natal Drakensberg. 2. to record fully these sites. The nature of the recording is discussed later. 3. to assess the quantity, quality and general value of the paintings at each site and their condition with regard to natural degradation and vandalism. 4. to gather the basic information essential to devise conservation measures. 5. to make recommendations as to the steps necessary to conserve the paintings. This would include identifying 'bench mark' sites with a view to keeping track of the influence of conservation measures, visitor usage, and natural degradation of the art. 6. the provision of data for future research.