The archaeology of the Alfred County Cave, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

At the beginning of the twentieth century William Bazley excavated a rock-shelter in the Alfred district of KwaZulu-Natal. Though long recognised as a site of importance for the Stone Age prehistory of southeastern southern Africa, this shelter remains unlocated and has not been investigated since. Over 200 artefacts from Bazley's excavation have now been found in the collections of The British Museum. They suggest that at least four industries are represented at the site: a late Holocene post-classic Wilton assemblage, an older LSA industry dating to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, and two Middle Stone Age industries, one of which belongs to the Howiesons Poort. These artefacts confirm the significance of the Alfred County Cave site, and are discussed in relation to other Stone Age sites from southern KwaZulu-Natal and eastern Lesotho.