Aurore Val

Deliberate body disposal by hominins in the Dinaledi Chamber, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa?

Homo naledi is a new species recently named from material recovered from the Dinaledi Chamber, inside the Rising Star cave (Berger et al., 2015). Comprising 1550 remains attributed to a minimum number of 15 individuals of all age groups, it was postulated by Dirks et al. (2015) that the unique assemblage could be the result of deliberate disposal of the dead by this small-brained and previously unknown species of hominin. Alternative taphonomic hypotheses, such as accumulation via a natural death trap or by predators, transport by water, occupation of the cave by the hominins, or catastrophic event, were rejected on the basis that (i) the fossil assemblage is composed exclusively of hominin remains (with the exception of a few micromammal and bird bones), (ii) it was recovered in a deep, dark, underground cave chamber never accessible to non-hominins and (iii) no evidence of vertebrate damage (e.g., no carnivore or rodent gnawing) was identified. Furthermore, based on the results of their taphonomic analysis, Dirks et al. (2015: 1) proposed that “hominin individuals reached the chamber complete, with disarticulation occurring during/after deposition”. This has far-reaching implications for understanding the conditions surrounding the emergence of mortuary behaviours in our lineage. Mortuary practices, that is, specific responses by the living members of a group towards their dead, are not exclusive to humans. This is supported by the various reactions towards deceased individuals observed among non-hominin primates, and especially chimpanzees (e.g., Teleki, 1973; Anderson et al., 2010; Biro et al., 2010; Pettitt, 2011). These practices may predate the emergence of the genus Homo if the 3.2 million year old open air

Taphonomic analysis of the faunal assemblage associated with the hominins (Australopithecus sediba) from the early pleistocene cave deposits of Malapa, South Africa.

Here we present the results of a taphonomic study of the faunal assemblage associated with the hominin fossils (Australopithecus sediba) from the Malapa site. Results include estimation of body part representation, mortality profiles, type of fragmentation, identification of breakage patterns, and microscopic analysis of bone surfaces. The diversity of the faunal spectrum, presence of animals with climbing proclivities, abundance of complete and/or articulated specimens, occurrence of antimeric sets of elements, and lack of carnivore-modified bones, indicate that animals accumulated via a natural death trap leading to an area of the cave system with no access to mammalian scavengers. The co-occurrence of well preserved fossils, carnivore coprolites, deciduous teeth of brown hyaena, and some highly fragmented and poorly preserved remains supports the hypothesis of a mixing of sediments coming from distinct chambers, which collected at the bottom of the cave system through the action of periodic water flow. This combination of taphonomic features explains the remarkable state of preservation of the hominin fossils as well as some of the associated faunal material.

The MIS5 Pietersburg at ‘28’ Bushman Rock Shelter, Limpopo Province, South Africa

In the past few decades, a diverse array of research has emphasized the precocity of technically advanced and symbolic practices occurring during the southern African Middle Stone Age. However, uncertainties regarding the regional chrono-cultural framework constrain models and identification of the cultural and ecological mechanisms triggering the development of such early innovative behaviours. Here, we present new results and a refined chronology for the Pietersburg, a techno-complex initially defined in the late 1920’s, which has disappeared from the literature since the 1980’s. We base our revision of this techno-complex on ongoing excavations at Bushman Rock Shelter (BRS) in Limpopo Province, South Africa, where two Pietersburg phases (an upper phase called ‘21’ and a lower phase called ‘28’) are recognized. Our analysis focuses on the ‘28’ phase, characterized by a knapping strategy based on Levallois and semi-prismatic laminar reduction systems and typified by the presence of end-scrapers. Luminescence chronology provides two sets of ages for the upper and lower Pietersburg of BRS, dated respectively to 73±6ka and 75±6ka on quartz and to 91±10ka and 97±10ka on feldspar, firmly positioning this industry within MIS5. Comparisons with other published lithic assemblages show technological differences between the Pietersburg from BRS and other southern African MIS5 traditions, especially those from the Western and Eastern Cape. We argue that, at least for part of MIS5, human populations in South Africa were regionally differentiated, a process that most likely impacted the way groups were territorially and socially organized. Nonetheless, comparisons between MIS5 assemblages also indicate some typological similarities, suggesting some degree of connection between human groups, which shared similar innovations but manipulated them in different ways. We pay particular attention to the end-scrapers from BRS, which represent thus far the earliest documented wide adoption of such tool-type and provide further evidence for the innovative processes characterizing southern Africa from the MIS5 onwards.