Permit Application: Wonderwerk Cave Excavation 1 and 2

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1 Permit Application: Wonderwerk Cave Excavation 1 and 2 Applicants: Michael Chazan (University of Toronto), David Morris (McGregor Museum), Francesco Berna (Boston University) Context: Wonderwerk Cave ( S/ E) is a 140 meter cave in the Kuruman Hills between Kuruman and Danielskuil in the Northern Cape Province (magisterial district Khalakhadi/Ga SAgonyana). Excavations by B.D. Malan; Francis and Anne Thackeray; and Peter Beaumont exposed an extensive record of human occupation through much of the cave. Fieldwork and analysis of collections by our team has established Wonderwerk Cave as the oldest known cave occupation (earliest occupation ca. 2 million years ago) and has documented the earliest known traces of in situ fire in an archaeological site in Stratum 10, Excavation 1 (ca. 1 million years ago). These results reinforce the significance of Wonderwerk Cave as recognized by the designation of the site as a National Heritage Site (Government Gazette, March 12, 2010) and by the inclusion of Wonderwerk Cave in the list of South African candidate sites for World Heritage status (1998). Goals: The goal of this project is to recover a representative collection of artifacts, macrofauna, microfauna, soil samples, and stalagmites with high precision recording of spatial context and collection under circumstances designed to minimize contamination. This research is essential to understanding the spatial organization of hominin activity on the site and to further our understanding of site function and the role of fire in early human adaptation. Scope: Excavation will extend Beaumont s Excavation 1 to the south (interior of the cave) and thus link Excavations 1 and 2. Limited excavation along the north and east sections of Excavation 1 will recover data in immediate proximity to samples that we have analyzed for dating and site formation including the location where early traces of ash were located and will stabilize sections that are in danger of collapse. Excavation of the upper strata of Excavation 2 will extend to the south and west of the existing excavation area. The extent of the excavation is indicated in Figure 1.

2 Methods: All excavation will take place by 5 cm. spits in a 0.25 x 0.25 meter grid. The grid will be established in relation to the 3D scan of the cave carried out by H. Ruther (Ruther et al. xxxx). It is not possible to re-establish Beaumont s original grid with the necessary degree of precision but we will be able to relate the new grid to the existing grid system and the grids will follow the same orientation. With the exception of areas disturbed by guano digger pits all artifacts and faunal remains greater than 2 cm. in size will be mapped in situ using a total station. All sediments will be sieved using a 2 mm. mesh. Because of the remarkable preservation at the site a major focus of this project with be on microscopic and chemical analysis. In all intact contexts excavation will take place in clean conditions with excavators wearing gloves and masks to minimize contamination. All recovered material will be bagged immediately. Sediment micromorphology, botanical analysis (pollen, phytolith), and chemical analyses of sediments will be integrated into the excavation. Conservation: Wonderwerk Cave is a unique archaeological resource and the extent of excavation will be limited to the area necessary to address the research question. In no case will a complete context be excavated. It is difficult to make precise calculations of the impact of this excavation on the total resource but a rough estimate is that these excavations will impact less than 5% of the Earlier Stone Age deposits at Wonderwerk Cave. Wonderwerk Cave is the focus of a development project and the excavation will take place in complete coordination with the planning and execution of the development of the site. The excavation will serve to stabalize existing section by creating stepped profiles. The goal will be to have steps of a maximum depth of 1 meter. Long-term stabilization will be carried out in consultation with the McGregor Museum and SAHRA. The use of loffel stone blocks to stabalize the southern and western sections is an excellent method for sections that do not need to be visible to visitors or easily accessible to researchers. Our project is committed to local community engagement and finding opportunities for knowledge transfer. All recovered collections will be permanently housed and curated in the McGregor Museum along with representative soil and micromorphology samples.

3 Research Team Our research team includes specialists from South African and around the world. The major source of funding to date has been the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and it is anticipated that this funding will continue. Other sources of funding including the National Science Foundation and the Wenner Gren Foundation will be solicited to further support this project. Team members are listed below followed by a list of our publications to date on Wonderwerk. Michael Chazan (University of Toronto): Project Director Lithic Analysis David Morris (Director, McGregor Museum Archaeology): Rock Art Francesco Berna (Boston University): Project Co-Director Geology Liora Kolska Horwitz (Hebrew University): Project Co-Director Faunal Analysis Ian Watts (Independent): Ochre James Brink (National Museum): Paleontology Lloyd Roussow (National Museum):Phytolith Louis Scott (University of the Free State):Pollen Yonlanda Fenandez-Jalvo (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales): Microfauna taphonomy Margaret Avery (IZIKO): Microfauna Ari Matmon (Hebrew University): Cosmogenic Burial Age Dating, Geomorphology Hagai Ron (Hebrew University): Paleomagnetic Dating Naomi Porat (Israel Geological Survey): OSL Dating Rainer Grun (Australian National University): ESR Dating Robin Pickering (University of Melbourne): U/Pb Dating

4 Noreen Tuross (Harvard University): Soil chemistry Heinz Ruther (University of Cape Town): Geomatics Paul Goldberg (Boston University): Micromorphology, Geomorphology Julia Lee-Thorp (University of Oxford): Isotopic Analysis Publications: Under Revision. Chazan, M., Avery, M.D., Bamford, M.K., Berna, F., Brink, J., Fernandez- Jalvo, Y., Goldberg, P., Matmon, A., Porat, N., Ron, H., Rossouw, L., Scott, L., Horwitz, L.K. Oldowan Occupation at Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa: Archaeology, Geology, Paleontology, and Paleoclimate. Journal of Human Evolution. In Press. Chazan. M. The Lithic Sequence from Wonderwerk Cave, Excavations 1 and 2. Proceedings of the 2010 joint meeting of the Panafrican Archaeological Congress and the Society of Africanist Archaeologists, Dakar, Senegal.. In Press. Horwitz, L.K. and M. Chazan. An Overview of Recent Research at Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. Proceedings of the 2010 joint meeting of the Panafrican Archaeological Congress and the Society of Africanist Archaeologists, Dakar, Senegal. November 2-4, In press. Chazan, M., M. Avery, P. Goldberg, A. Matmon, N. Porat, H. Ron, A. Sumner, R. Yates, and L.K. Horwitz. The Earlier Stone Age Sequence in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa: New Research. In Les Culture A Biface du Pleistocene Inferieur et Moyen dans le Monde, edited by H. de Lumley. Tautavel Berna, F., P. Goldberg, L.K. Horwitz, J. Brink, S. Holt, M. Bamford, and M. Chazan. Microstratigraphic evidence of in situ fire in the Acheulean strata of Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape province, South Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, published ahead of print Aprtil 2, 2012.

5 2012. Jacobson, L., F.C. de Beer, R. Nshimirimana, L.K. Horwitz, and M. Chazan. Neutron tomographic assessment of incisions on prehistoric stone slabs: a case study from Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. Archaeometry. Article first published online: 30 MAR Matmon, A., H. Ron, M. Chazan, N. Porat, L.K. Horwitz. Reconstruction the history of sediment deposition in caves: A case study from Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. Geological Society of America Bulletin 124 (3-4): Chazan, M. and Horwitz, L.K. Milestones in the development of symbolic behaviour: A case study from Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. World Archaeology.41(4): Ruther, H., M. Chazan, R. Schroeder, R. Neeser, C. Held, S.J. Walker, A. Matmon, and L.K. Horwitz. Laser scanning for conservation and research of African cultural heritage sites: The case study of Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. Journal of Archeological Science 38: Chazan, M., H. Ron, A. Matmon, N. Porat, P. Goldberg, R. Yates, M. Avery, A. Sumner, and L.K. Horwitz. First radiometric dates for the earlier stone age sequence in Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution 55:1-11. Conference Presentations: Berna, F., P. Goldberg, L. K. Horwitz, J. Brink, S. Holt, M. Bamford and M. Chazan. Tracing the earliest evidence of fire; the microstratigraphic record in the Early Acheulean at Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. Annual meeting of the Paleoanthropology Society, Memphis Fernandez-Jalvo, Y., M. Avery, L. Horwitz, L. Rossouw, J. Brink, L. Scott, M. Chazan. Early Pleistocene at Wonderwerk Cave (Northern Cape, South Africa), small mammal palaeoenvironmental indications. INQUA, Berne, Switzerland, July 21-27, Matmon, A., Ron, H., Chazan, M., Porat, N., Horwitz, K., Rood, D. Reconstructing the history of sediment deposition in Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. INQUA, Berne, Switzerland, July 21-27,

6 2011. Matmon, A. H. Ron, M. Chazan, N. Porat, and L.K. Horwitz. Historical reconstruction of sediment deposition at Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Annual Meeting of the Israel Geological Society, Makhtesh Ramon, March Chazan. M. The Lithic Sequence from Wonderwerk Cave, Excavations 1 and 2. Joint meeting of the Panafrican Archaeological Congress and the Society of Africanist Archaeologists, Dakar, Senegal. November 2-4, Horwitz, L.K. and M. Chazan. An Overview of Recent Research at Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. Joint meeting of the Panafrican Archaeological Congress and the Society of Africanist Archaeologists, Dakar, Senegal. November 2-4, Chazan, M. and V. Boiles-Leonard. Research, Identity, and Tourism: The Context of Site Development at Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa. Heritage in Conflict and Consensus: New Approaches to the Social, Political, and Religious Impact of Public Heritage in the 21st Century, University of Massachusetts, November 9-13, Chazan, M., L.K. Horwitz, H. Ron, A. Matmon, N. Porat, M. Avery, R. Yates, A. Sumner, and P. Goldberg. The Earlier Stone Age Sequence in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa: New Research. Paper presented at the conference Les Culture A Biface du Pleistocene Inferieur et Moyen dans le Monde, June 25-30, Tautavel, France Chazan, M. Preliminary results of new research on the Earlier Stone Age of Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. SAFA, Calgary, Alberta Ron, H., P. Beaumont, M. Chazan, N. Porat, and L.K. Horwitz. Magnetostratigraphy of the Acheulian beds in Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape. Paper presented at the 2005 meeting of the South African Society for Quaternary Research.