Sehonghong (GWA)
Basic information
Sample name: Sehonghong (GWA)

Reference: I. Plug and P. Mitchell. 2008. Sehonghong: hunter-gatherer utilization of animal resources in the highlands of Lesotho. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 45:31-53 [ER 3742]
Geography
Country: Lesotho

State: Thaba-Tseka


Coordinate: 29° 46' S, 28° 47' E
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Holocene

Section: 3742

Unit number: 2

Unit order: above to below

Ma: 0.00595

Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)

Geography comments: "Sehonghong is a large rock-shelter on the banks of the Sehonghong River, close to its confluence with the Senqu (Orange/Gariep) in the Thaba Tseka District of the highlands of Lesotho. The site lies at an elevation of 1800 m above sea level".
Layer GWA dates to 5950 ± 70 BP based on a single radiocarbon date.

Environment
Lithology: ash

Taphonomic context: human accumulation,rock shelter

Archaeology: hearths,stone tools

Habitat comments: "Layer GWA (Grey White Ash) consists of a series of quite firm white to pinkish-white ash bodies with a high charcoal content that may be the remains of several interlensing hearths. The lithic remains from this layer correspond to a Classic Wilton assemblage".
"While not all of the animal remains in the deposit would have been accumulated by people, the intense degree of fragmentation and burning that characterizes the Sehonghong assemblages strongly suggests that people were responsible for acquiring almost all of the faunal remains".

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds,lizards,snakes,turtles,frogs,fishes,clams,snails

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 855 specimens

Sampled by: P. Mitchell

Years: 1992

Sampling comments: "The primary excavation of the site was conducted by P. Mitchell in 1992. All sediment removed from the deposits was dry-sieved through a 1.5 mm mesh".
"Layer GWA was removed in 14 units, producing 83 buckets of deposit".

Metadata
Sample number: 3980

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-08-25 12:52:22

Modified: 2023-05-30 01:41:21

Abundance distribution
38 species
7 singletons
total count 855
geometric series index: 55.2
Fisher's α: 8.150
geometric series k: 0.8658
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8724
Shannon's H: 2.5910
Good's u: 0.9918
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Papio hamadryas6912 kg
Chlorocebus pygerythrus13.5 kg
"Cercopithecus pygerythrus"
Canis mesomelas47.9 kg carnivore
Mellivora capensis37.7 kg carnivore-invertivore
Ichneumia albicauda33.4 kg invertivore-carnivore
also 4 Herpestidae indet.
Caracal caracal312 kg carnivore
Felis lybica1
"Felis silvestris"; also 2 Felis sp. and 8 Carnivora indet.
Equus quagga6279 kg grazer
Procavia capensis1792.8 kg browser
Orycteropus afer140 kg insectivore
Phacochoerus africanus482 kg grazer-browser
Connochaetes gnou19 grazer
Alcelaphus buselaphus27143 kg grazer-browser
Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi183 kg grazer-browser
Sylvicapra grimmia913 kg browser-grazer
Oreotragus oreotragus29 browser-grazer
Ourebia ourebi1014 kg grazer-browser
Raphicerus campestris179.7 kg browser-grazer
Pelea capreolus8716 kg grazer
Taurotragus oryx23393 kg browser-grazer
"Tragelaphus oryx"
Redunca arundinum10 grazer
Redunca fulvorufula2729 kg
also 1 Redunca sp. and 268 Bovidae indet.
Xerus inauris1
Hystrix africaeaustralis515 kg browser
Pedetes capensis32.4 kg
Otomys sp.14
also 37 Rodentia indet.
Pronolagus rupestris1
also 4 Pronolagus sp.
Lepus saxatilis342.0 kg
also 2 Lepus sp. and 15 Lagomorpha indet.
Struthio camelus1111 kg grazer-browser
also 4 Aves indet.
Testudinidae indet.3
"Tortoise"
Serpentes indet.2
Lacertilia indet.8
also 2 Reptilia indet.
Anura indet.7
"Frog/toad"
Achatina sp.207
also 1 Gastropoda indet.
Unio caffer8
also 88 Unionidae indet.
Labeobarbus aeneus22
Labeo capensis3
also 48 Labeoninae indet.
Austroglanis sclateri3
also 31 Fish indet.