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The risk to surface archaeological sites posed by heavy machinery has grown significantly, and stone-tool assemblages are particularly susceptible to alteration that may be difficult to recognise. Indeed, the impact of industrial machines on surface scatters of lithic material has not yet been explored. Here, an analytical experiment is used to explore the ways in which machine action can affect a test assemblage resembling a typical Stone Age scatter. The results demonstrate that while formal tool types are not easily replicated through machine action, the creation of assemblages that resemble archaeological debitage poses a much greater challenge for archaeologists.Keywords: southern Africa, Stone Age, debitage, taphonomy, IntroductionFor well over a century, archaeologists have recognised the existence of pseudo stone tools-- lithic material, altered by human or natural processes, to resemble, coincidentally, archaeological artefacts (Boule 1905; Bennett [...]

The study of arthropod remains from ardiaeological contexts has the potential to reveal. information about the past thot may not necessarily nonbe readily forthcoming from faunal, botanical or artefact miatyses. Yet, iii southern Africa the field of archaeoentomology is practically non-existent. Here, 1 explore the application of excitation (fluorescence) light microscopy to an experimental sample of cruslied arthropod remains of 14 conimon species. It is shown thrit di#crent lighting pathways can reveal -valitable inforination about arthropod sclerites (pieces of their chitinous exoskeleton). and that liltraviolet light iii particular is itseful for distinguishing certain features, some of which appear to be taxon -specific, mid hence helpful for identifying highly fragmented arthropod remains recovered from archaeological settings. Furthermore, excited light can be used effectively to distinguish arthropod reinains from inert sediments and botanical fibres. While a lot of work remains to be dotte, not least of which includes the establishment of a useful arthropod reference collection and the scouring of sedinient samples. Foin excavated sites that have not had the benefit of an archaeoentomological assessment, I hope tliat this paper highlights the potential of excited light microscopy for arthropod identification and will stimulate further research on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bow and arrow is thought to be a unique development of our species, signalling higher-level cognitive functioning. How this technology originated and how we identify archaeological evidence for it are subjects of ongoing debate. Recent analysis of the putative bone arrow point from Sibudu Cave in South Africa, dated to 61.7 [+ or -] 1.5kya, has provided important new insights. High-resolution CT scanning revealed heat and impact damage in both the Sibudu point and in experimentally produced arrow points. These features suggest that the Sibudu point was first used as an arrowhead for hunting, and afterwards was deposited in a hearth. Our results support the claim that bone weapon tips were used in South African hunting long before the Eurasian Upper Palaeolithic. Keywords: South Africa, Sibudu Cave, projectile technology, bow and arrow, experimental archaeology, Introduction Projectile weaponry, in its broadest terms, is found in all regions and among all human cultures of the world, yet its antiquity and evolution remain incompletely understood (Brooks et [...]

The article discusses the finding of 500-year-old cattle-horn container in a rock shelter in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, shedding new light on the antiquity of traditional medicines in the region. Topics include the analysis of the substance found inside the container showing several plant-based medicinal compounds, using of container to store multiple combined ingredients of medicinal application and addition to the knowledge of traditional Khoisan medicines through the finding.

Bone points of two types, the one thin and poisoned and the other robust and not poisoned, are examined in this study of impact fractures. The bone points seem to have had similar experiences to stone points, producing fractures of a similar kind. Most of the fractures in the historical collection examined were caused by impacts. However, this early twentieth-century collection is not thought to be representative of contemporary fracture frequencies that occurred in hunting. Keywords: ethnoarchaeology, bow and arrows, macrofracture analysis, bone tips, Introduction The origin of projectile technology is a hotly debated topic (see Knecht 1997; Brooks et al. 2006; Shea 2006; Villa & Lenoir 2006; Backwell et al. 2008; Lombard & [...]

The article focuses on clarifying the distinction between field and technical reports and research articles in the Bulletin of the Southern African Humanities, emphasizing that both types undergo peer review and carry equal weight. It mentions the history of the Bulletin's sections, the purpose of the Field and Technical Reports section, and examples from the current issue are discussed to provide insight into the contributions expected in this section.

Animal symbolism is a prominent feature of many human societies globally. In some cases, these symbolic attributes manifest in the technological domain, influencing the decision to use the bones of certain animals and not others for tool manufacture. In southern Africa, animals feature prominently in the cosmogenic narratives of both hunter-gatherer and Bantu-speaking farmer groups. Whenever these two culturally distinct groups came into contact with each other there would be an assimilation of cosmogenic concepts of power and the adoption of certain symbolically important animals. In this paper, we report on which animals were selected to make bone tools during the first millennium AD contact period in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, and explore the extent to which this selection may have been influenced by the symbolic associations of specific animals. Our results show selective targeting of specific animals for tool manufacture at some sites, with a narrowing of the range of selected species during the first millennium AD contact period. Certain antelope tribes, such as Aepycerotini, Cephalophini and Antilopini, appear to have been deliberately avoided, thus arguing against opportunistic selection. Nor does the range of selected animals appear to show any obvious mechanical considerations, as has been noted in similar studies. We highlight the potential of ZooMS for understanding the dynamics of animal symbolism in the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contemporary occupation of archaeological sites is fraught with challenges and conflicting priorities. While prevailing opinion on heritage management recognises the fluid and continuous nature of archaeological site formation, the role of present-day communities as agents of archaeological palimpsests is often not adequately acknowledged. Contemporary communities, often unrelated to the autochthonous inhabitants of the archaeological sites, occasionally use these sites and landscapes in similar or different ways to how they were used in the past. Their use of these sites, while potentially damaging to the archaeology, simultaneously adds to, and is part of, the life history of the site, of which the excavated material and rock art are but pictures in time. Squatters who appropriate archaeological heritage sites constitute ambiguous communities under current South African heritage legislation. Yet, their role as contributing agents to archaeological sites is no less real. This article presents the case study of Kruger Cave, a Later Stone Age hunter-gatherer rock art site in South Africa, currently occupied by a lay Christian pastor. We document how the pastor is using the site and offer some thoughts around the nuances of negotiating and reconciling archaeological preservation and living heritage management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the histological characterisation of a selection of worked bone artefacts from Middle Stone Age layers at Sibudu cave, South Africa. Histographic rendering is achieved using high-resolution Computed Tomography, which is non-destructive and facilitates three-dimensional histologic analysis. Excellent congruency in image quality was achieved with previous studies using this method. The results show that most of the artefact fragments contain mostly primary lamellar tissue, which is the bone tissue best adapted to withstand impact stresses. This indicates that bone with greater elastic properties was chosen. Histological characterisation allows the identification of animal taxa. Based on the sample analysed in this paper, Perissodactyla bone was used predominantly in the older layers at the site. Artiodactyla are represented throughout but appear far more frequently in the later (post-Howiesons Poort onwards) layers. Some of the Artiodactyla specimens have high proportions of Haversian tissue, reducing elasticity. The higher percentages of Haversian tissue in the post-Howiesons Poort artefacts relative to Holocene examples from southern Africa suggests that people may have started experimenting with bone from different animal taxa at this time and had not yet learned to eliminate the mechanically weaker secondary tissue. Apart from mechanical considerations, possible cultural constraints governing raw material selection is also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antiquity of the use of hunting poisons has received much attention in recent years. In this paper we present the results of a pilot study designed to detect the presence of organic compounds, typically of less than 1200 Da, from poisonous plants that may have been used as hunting poisons in the past. We used ultra-performance liquid chromatography connected to a Synapt G2 high-resolution MS-QTOF mass spectrometer (UPLC-QTOF-MS) to provisionally identify plant-based toxins present in (1) extracts of fresh plant material, (2) a blind control recipe consisting of three plant ingredients and (3) a Hei||om arrow poison of unknown ingredients. Although not all expected toxic compounds were identified, those that were identified compared favourably with those reported in the literature and confirmed through databases, specifically the Dictionary of Natural Products and ChemSpider. MS/MS fragmentation patterns and accurate mass were used for tentative identification of compounds because archaeological residues usually contain insufficient material for unambiguous identification using nuclear magnetic resonance. We highlight the potential of this method for accurately identifying plant-based toxins present on archaeological artefacts and unique (albeit non-toxic) chemical markers that may allow one to infer the presence of toxic plant ingredients in arrow poisons. Any chemical study of archaeological material should consider the unique environmental degradative factors and be sensitive to the oxidative byproducts of toxic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochemical analyses of residues preserved on ethno-historical and archaeological artefacts increase our understanding of past indigenous knowledge systems. The interpretation of biochemical traces is, however, difficult. Problems that can hamper credible interpretations of ethno-historical or archaeological residues include incomplete knowledge about local natural products, limited published data about product applications, and overestimation of the abilities of the analytical techniques to make specific identifications. In an initial attempt to address some of the challenges, we discuss arrow poison as a case in point, and we provide complete, updated inventories of known southern African poison ingredients and recipes, suspected poisons, and the current state of knowledge about these toxins and their effects. We also suggest that discoveries of ancient arrow poison, and the technical steps involved in early toxicology, have the potential to indicate levels of human cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone tools represent an important but often understudied aspect of past material culture. Apart from some notable exceptions, bone tool studies are still dominated by typological descriptions. This paper reviews the history and current state of bone tool functional studies in southern Africa. I present the results of use-trace analyses of 378 bone points from 12 archaeological sites spanning the last 18 000 years. The results suggest that manufacturing techniques remain unchanged for most of the time span considered. Damage on the distal ends indicates that not all bone arrow points were pointed, but that some arrows may have included a metal or stone tip. On certain specimens, use-wear and residue remains suggest that at least some bone points (morphologically identical to San bone arrow components) may have been used to process plant material. Whether they were used solely for this purpose or as multifunctional tools is uncertain. The most variability in use-trace indicators on bone points occurs during the Wilton, particularly after 4000 BP. Such changes in bone point form and function do not correlate neatly with lithic technological oscillations. It is not certain to what extent this pattern is a reflection of taphonomic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rad54 is a key component of the eukaryotic recombination machinery. Its presence in DNA strand-exchange reactions in vitro results in a significant stimulation of the overall reaction rate. Using untagged Rad54, we show that this stimulation can be attributed to enhancement of the formation of a key reaction intermediate known as DNA networks. Using a novel, single DNA molecule, dual-optical tweezers approach we show how Rad54 stimulates DNA network formation. We discovered that Rad54 oligomers possess a unique ability to cross-bridge or bind double-stranded DNA molecules positioned in close proximity. Further, Rad54 oligomers rapidly translocate double-stranded DNA while simultaneously inducing topological loops in the DNA at the locus of the oligomer. The combination of the cross-bridging and double-stranded DNA translocation activities of Rad54 stimulates the formation of DNA networks, leading to rapid and efficient DNA strand exchange by Rad51. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]