News from our South African Coastal Cave excavations

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Last summer, I was part of a team excavating a Middle-Late Stone Age archaeological site in South Africa. Early humans occupied caves along the southern coast of Africa for about 200,000 years. Our site, Knysna Eastern Head Cave 1, (KEH-1), is located near the modern city of Knysna, Western Cape, South Africa. This site was occupied from 46,000 to 18,000 years ago and is helping us answer questions about how early human behavior changed throughout our early evolution, particularly since humans interacted with oceanic resources in very complex ways.

The modern city of Knysna is located about 500 kilometers east of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a wonderful small city that is beautiful, and inviting. We arrived during oysterfest, a small festival celebrated every July and featuring oysters cultivated in South Africa. In addition to the beautiful surroundings and good food, the South African people are very friendly, inviting, and curious about the archaeology of the region. I look forward to heading back next year.

For more information about KEH-1, check out this link:

https://leakeyfoundation.org/2015grantee-spotlight-naomi-cleghorn/

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Daniel Peart, MA

Department of Anthropology

The Ohio State University

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