A comparison of hunter-gatherer material culture from Matjes River Rock Shelter and Nelson Bay Cave

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dc.contributor.advisorSealy, Judithen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorLudwig, Benen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2014-10-23T07:10:04Z
dc.date.available2014-10-23T07:10:04Z
dc.date.issued2005en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 107-113).en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThis thesis investigates whether or not there is a material cultural expression of the economic (and by inference, social) difference seen in the stable isotope values of human skeletons from Robberg/Plettenberg Bay and Matjes River Rock Shelter between 4500 and 2000 B.P. After 2000 B.P. the introduction of pastoral subsistence in the area changed existing modes of production in such a way as to alter Ձ15N values. The two major excavated archaeological sites in this region are Nelson Bay Cave and Matjes River Rock Shelter, which lie only 15 kilometres apart. For this thesis, previously published descriptions of the artefact assemblages from these two sites were studied, and selected categories of artefacts were re-examined. More original work was necessary on the Matjes River collection, due to the poor quality of previous reports. The thesis focuses on the Wilton and pre-ceramic post-Wilton. In general, the same types of artefacts were found at both sites, but a number of types that were common in Layer C (i.e. in the Wilton) at Matjes River were not a feature of the Wilton levels at Nelson Bay Cave, although they became common in the post-Wilton. Backed scrapers were much more common in the Wilton levels of Matjes River than in any levels at Nelson Bay Cave, and chalcedony was more strongly favoured. Stone sinkers and perforated turtle carapace were present at Nelson Bay but were very rare at Matjes River. Several of the differences noted are not readily explained in terms of different functions or activities at the two sites. The contrast in the proportions of backed scrapers is best understood in terms of different traditions of artefact manufacture. Similarly, differences between the two sites in highly visible decorative items such as shell pendants are likely related to the negotiation of group or personal identity. These differences are consistent with a territorial separation between the groups that occupied the two sites, as postulated on the basis of the isotopic evidence.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationLudwig, B. (2005). <i>A comparison of hunter-gatherer material culture from Matjes River Rock Shelter and Nelson Bay Cave</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Archaeology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8732en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationLudwig, Ben. <i>"A comparison of hunter-gatherer material culture from Matjes River Rock Shelter and Nelson Bay Cave."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Archaeology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8732en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationLudwig, B. 2005. A comparison of hunter-gatherer material culture from Matjes River Rock Shelter and Nelson Bay Cave. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Ludwig, Ben AB - This thesis investigates whether or not there is a material cultural expression of the economic (and by inference, social) difference seen in the stable isotope values of human skeletons from Robberg/Plettenberg Bay and Matjes River Rock Shelter between 4500 and 2000 B.P. After 2000 B.P. the introduction of pastoral subsistence in the area changed existing modes of production in such a way as to alter Ձ15N values. The two major excavated archaeological sites in this region are Nelson Bay Cave and Matjes River Rock Shelter, which lie only 15 kilometres apart. For this thesis, previously published descriptions of the artefact assemblages from these two sites were studied, and selected categories of artefacts were re-examined. More original work was necessary on the Matjes River collection, due to the poor quality of previous reports. The thesis focuses on the Wilton and pre-ceramic post-Wilton. In general, the same types of artefacts were found at both sites, but a number of types that were common in Layer C (i.e. in the Wilton) at Matjes River were not a feature of the Wilton levels at Nelson Bay Cave, although they became common in the post-Wilton. Backed scrapers were much more common in the Wilton levels of Matjes River than in any levels at Nelson Bay Cave, and chalcedony was more strongly favoured. Stone sinkers and perforated turtle carapace were present at Nelson Bay but were very rare at Matjes River. Several of the differences noted are not readily explained in terms of different functions or activities at the two sites. The contrast in the proportions of backed scrapers is best understood in terms of different traditions of artefact manufacture. Similarly, differences between the two sites in highly visible decorative items such as shell pendants are likely related to the negotiation of group or personal identity. These differences are consistent with a territorial separation between the groups that occupied the two sites, as postulated on the basis of the isotopic evidence. DA - 2005 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2005 T1 - A comparison of hunter-gatherer material culture from Matjes River Rock Shelter and Nelson Bay Cave TI - A comparison of hunter-gatherer material culture from Matjes River Rock Shelter and Nelson Bay Cave UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8732 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/8732
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationLudwig B. A comparison of hunter-gatherer material culture from Matjes River Rock Shelter and Nelson Bay Cave. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Archaeology, 2005 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8732en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Archaeologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherArchaeologyen_ZA
dc.titleA comparison of hunter-gatherer material culture from Matjes River Rock Shelter and Nelson Bay Caveen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMScen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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