Archaeology, palaeoenvironment, and chronology of the Tsodilo Hills white paintings rock shelter, Northwest Kalahari Desert, Botswana

Excavations conducted at the White Paintings Rock Shelter (WPS) have uncove red 7m of deposits ranging in age from the historic period to at least 100, 000 years at the base. Eleven stratigraphic units are described in relation to palaeoenvironmental conditions inferred from sediments and other data. These units contain seven major divisions in the cultural sequence highligh ted by a lengthy record of Later and Middle Stone Age deposits. A wide vari ety of mammals as well as other animals were found in the upper 3m. Numerou s fish bones, wetland mammals and barbed bone points make this site especia lly interesting because of its desert location. The highest frequencies of fish bones are found between c.80/90-130cm (Upper Fish deposits) and betwee n 210-280cm below the surface (Lower Fish deposits). Most of the barbed bon e points were recovered in the Upper Fish deposits. The Lower Fish deposits contain extinct Equus capensis and a microlithic industry as well as some bone points. A large blade industry is found beneath the Lower Fish deposit s. This blade industry shows continuity with the underlying Middle Stone Ag e. Copyright 2000 Academic Press