THE LANDSCAPE DISTRIBUTION OF STONE AGE ARTEFACTS ON THE HACKTHORNE PLATEAU, LIMPOPO RIVER VALLEY, SOUTH AFRICA

Landscape-scale archaeological investigations were undertaken of the spatial distribution of artefacts over a small plateau adjacent to the Limpopo River in northern South Africa. Alluvial gravels eroding from the plateau terrace deposits were used by late Earlier, Middle and Later Stone Age peoples for raw materials. Results indicate that artefact deposition is widespread across the plateau, but koppies (small sandstone hills) host the densest concentrations of artefacts. The concentration and variety of artefacts found at koppies suggest they were occupation sites repeatedly used by hominids since the late Earlier Stone Age. In addition, the widespread background scatter of artefacts across the entire plateau indicates extensive use of the overall landscape by hominids during late Earlier and Middle Stone Age occupation phases. The plateau, and particularly the koppie sites, preserve a lengthy sequence ofhominid activity and cultural change in the far north of South Africa, which provides a unique regional record for such ancient, open air sites.