Abstract
THE archaeological and hominid site of Border Cave (KwaZulu, South Africa) has a stratigraphie sequence covering the Middle and Later Stone Ages (MSA and LSA)1–10. It has been proposed that four hominid specimens recovered there (BC1 and BC2 of uncertain provenance, and BC3 and BC5 recovered from MSA layers) represent very early examples of anatomically modern humans, supporting an early late-Pleistocene appearance of modern Homo sapiens in Africa. This early appearance, however, has been questioned, largely because of doubts about the stratigraphic positions associated with the specimens and because of the lack of a reliable chronology for the stratigraphie sequence. We now report on the first comprehensive radiometrie dating analysis of Border Cave, using electron spin resonance (ESR) on teeth within sediment layers. BC3 is likely to be ∼70–80 kyr old, and BC5, 50–65 kyr old. BC1 and BC2 are almost certainly less than 90 kyr old. These results, although younger than some age estimates, support the early occurrence of anatomically modern humans at Border Cave. In addition, our results suggest that the Howiesons Poort lithic industry (∼45–75 kyr) and the MSA-LSA transition (∼35 kyr) are younger than often believed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beaumont, P. B., de Villiers, H. & Vogel, J. C. S. Afr. J. Sci. 74, 409–419 (1978).
Beaumont, P. B. Palaeont. afr. 23, 21–33 (1980).
Butzer, K. W., Beaumont, P. W. & Vogel, J. C. J. arch. Sci. 5, 317–341 (1978).
Klein, R. G. (ed.) Southern African Prehistory and Paleoenvironments (Balkema, Rotterdam, 1984).
Klein, R. G. S. Afr. archaeol. Bull. 32, 14–27 (1977).
Avery, D. M. J. arch. Sci. 9, 187–204 (1982).
Sampson, C. G. The Stone Age Archaeology of Southern Africa (Academic, New York, 1974).
Singer, R. & Wymer, J. The Middle Stone Age at Klasies River Mouth in South Africa (University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1982).
Mellars, P. & Stringer, C. B. (eds) The Human Revolution: Behavioural and Biological Perspectives on the Origins of Modern Humans (Edinburgh University Press, 1989).
Mellars, P. Curr. Anthrop. 30, 349–385 (1989).
Smith, F. H. Z. morph. Anthrop. 75, 197–222 (1985).
Parkington, J. in The Human Revolution: Behavioural and Biological Perspectives on the Origin of Modern Humans Vol. 2 (ed. Mellars, P.) (Edinburgh University Press) (in the press).
Morris, A. in Continuity or Replacement? Controversies in the Evolution of Homo sapiens (eds Bräuer, G. & Smith, F. H.) (Balkema, Rotterdam) (in the press).
De Villiers, H. Ann. Transv. Mus. 28, 229–256 (1973).
De Villiers, H. S. Afr. J. Sci. 72, 212–215 (1976).
De Villiers, H. & Fatti, L. P. S. Afr. J. Sci. 78, 321–332 (1982).
Fatti, L. P. in Variation, Culture and Evolution in African Populations (eds Finger, R. & Lundy, J. K.) 27–34 (Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg, 1986).
Rightmire, G. P. Current Anthrop. 20, 23–26 (1979).
Rightmire, G. P. Current Anthrop. 22, 199–200 (1981).
van Vark, G. N. & Howells, W. W. Multivariate Statistical Methods in Physical Anthropology (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1984).
Bräuer, G. in The Origins of Modern Humans: A World Survey of Fossil Evidence (eds Smith, F. H. & Spencer, F.) 327–410 (Liss, New York, 1984).
Habgood, P. J. S. Afr. archaeol. Bull. 44, 17–22 (1989).
van Vark, G. N., Bilsborough, A. & Dijkema, J. Anthrop. Prehist. 100, 43–56 (1989).
Klein, R. G. A. Rev. Anthrop. 12, 25–48 (1983).
Grün, R. Die ESR-Alterbestimmungsmethode (Springer, Heidelberg, 1989).
Grün, R. Quat. Int. 1, 65–109 (1989).
Grün, R. & Macdonald, P. D. M. Applied Radiation and Isotopes 40, 1077–1080 (1989).
Nambi, K. S. V. & Aitken, M. J. Archaeometry 28, 202–205 (1986).
Grün, R. Ancient TL 4, 1–8 (1986).
Grün, R. Schwarcz, H. P. & Zymela, S. Can. J. Earth Sci. 24, 1022–1037 (1987).
Grün, R., Shackleton, N. J. & Deacon, H. Curr. Anthrop. (in the press).
Vigilant, L., Pennington, R., Harpending, H., Kocher, T. & Wilson, A. Proc. natn Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86, 9350–9354 (1989).
Martinson, D. G. et al. Quat. Res. 27, 1–29 (1987).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Grün, R., Beaumont, P. & Stringer, C. ESR dating evidence for early modern humans at Border Cave in South Africa. Nature 344, 537–539 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/344537a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/344537a0
- Springer Nature Limited