Dendrochronology, rainfall and human adaptation in the Later Iron Age of Natal and Zululand

Abstract

A dendrochronological study of a specimen of Podocarpus falcatus with a life-span of 596 years is described. It is noted that the dominant pattern of rainfall oscillation for the summer-rainfall region of South Africa, revealed by analysis of rainfall statistics for the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, is also a feature of the prehistoric period. Other, less regular, trends are also described. It is suggested that these data add a further perspective to the understanding of the late prehistoric and early historic adaptations in Natal and Zululand.

To cite this article: Hall, M. 1976. Dendrochronology, rainfall and human adaptation in the Later Iron Age of Natal and Zululand. Annals of the Natal Museum 22 (3): 693-703.