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The Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa

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Handbook of Pleistocene Archaeology of Africa

Abstract

Archaeological sites in the southern Kalahari add key data for understanding the distribution of Pleistocene occupation, past environments, and early human environmental interactions in the interior of South Africa. One area of high potential is the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in the Northern Cape, and the largest private game reserve in South Africa. Limited prior archaeological research has been completed at Tswalu, which has largely focused on the rock engraving sites located on the north end of the reserve. Our ongoing research program includes surface survey, geomorphological and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, and excavations at two sites located near the Korranenberg Hills. The first is Witberg 1, a high-density open-air Middle Stone Age assemblage in a stratified context. The second is Sonstraal, an Earlier Stone Age assemblage in a diatomite quarry that we are just beginning to investigate. This research suggests water was an important component of Pleistocene land use in the region, and further study will test how water security strategies changed through the Pleistocene.

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Acknowledgments

Jayne Wilkins and Kyle Brown have extensively contributed to make fieldwork at Tswalu possible, and Robyn Pickering, Luke Gliganic, and Irene Esteban are invaluable collaborators on this work. Permission to work at Tswalu was kindly provided by the Tswalu Foundation, including Duncan MacFadyen, Gus van Dyk, and Wouter Jordaan. Dylan Smith was particularly helpful with fieldwork at the Tswalu Kalahari Reserve. David Morris and Simon Hall provided valuable input and discussions prior to the fieldwork. Many students have assisted in the fieldwork, including Jessica von der Meden, Amy Hatton, Simangaliso Makalima, Alicen Munn, Batande Getyengana, Precious Chiwara, Josie Burness, Michaela Heale, Rachel Westbrook, Tessa Campbell, Bacara Spruit, Dr. Tara Edwards, and Dr. Alex Blackwood. Funding support was provided by the National Geographic Society Waitt Grant, University of Queensland, Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP220100167, and the Tswalu Foundation. Any errors or inconsistencies are the sole responsibility of the author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    Benjamin J. Schoville

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  1. Benjamin J. Schoville
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Correspondence to Benjamin J. Schoville .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology and Center for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Amanuel Beyin

  2. Institute of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo, Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    David K. Wright

  3. Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

    Jayne Wilkins

  4. Department of Anthropology and Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Deborah I. Olszewski

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Schoville, B.J. (2023). The Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa. In: Beyin, A., Wright, D.K., Wilkins, J., Olszewski, D.I. (eds) Handbook of Pleistocene Archaeology of Africa . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20290-2_111

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20290-2_111

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-20290-2

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