Settlement patterns during the ESA and MSA around Langebaan Lagoon, Western Cape (South Africa)

The region around Langebaan Lagoon in the Western Cape has been a focal point of prehistoric research in South Africa for over half a century.
Stone Age localities of all ages are abundant and present an interesting perspective on the region’s settlement history. Taken together, these localities The region around Langebaan Lagoon in the Western Cape has been a focal point of prehistoric research in South Africa for over half a century. Stone Age localities of all ages are abundant and present an interesting perspective on the region’s settlement history. Taken together, these localities.

These Late Acheulean assemblages demonstrate a reliance on handaxe production, the systematic utilization of medium and large game, and the provisioning of non-local raw materials. While Elandsfontein’s seasonal pans provided water for animals and humans, the locality of Anyskop is distinctive because of its hilltop setting, making it independent of water and game. The Middle Stone Age (MSA) assemblages from Geelbek, Hoedjiespunt, Sea Harvest and Ysterfontein provide further evidence for a regional settlement system that incorporated non-local raw materials into the
lithic provisioning strategy. Advanced lithic technologies were aimed at the production of bifacial points and blades, as well as backed elements. Subsistence strategies encompassed the utilization of both terrestrial and marine resources. While symbolic artifacts are not known from these sites, evidence of ochre utilization is indicated. These behavioral patterns suggest that the Middle and Upper Pleistocene hominins who left these ESA and MSA materials behind were adept masters of their environment who maximized their returns from the West Coast landscape. In summary, the ESA and MSA of the West Coast region can be characterized as periods of high mobility and low population density.