| Boomplaas Cave | |
| Map Type: | South Africa Western Cape#South Africa |
| Map Alt: | Boomplaas Cave in South Africa |
| Relief: | yes |
| Coordinates: | -33.3706°N 22.1586°W |
| Location: | Cango Valley, Western Cape Province, South Africa |
| Region: | Eden District Municipality |
| Type: | Cave, Rock shelter |
| Area: | 225m2 |
| Material: | Precambrian limestone outcrop |
| Epochs: | Pleistocene, Holocene |
| Cultures: | Khoikhoi |
| Excavations: | 1974 to 1979 |
| Archaeologists: | R. O. Moffett, H. J. Deacon |
Boomplaas Cave is located in the Cango Valley in the foothills of the Swartberg mountain range, north of Oudtshoorn, Eden District Municipality in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. It has a 5m (16feet) deep stratified archaeological sequence of human presence, occupation and hunter-gatherer/herder acculturation that might date back as far as 80,000 years.[1] [2] [3] The site's documentation contributed to the reconstruction of palaeo-environments in the context of changes in climate within periods of the Late Pleistocene (11,700 - 129,000 years BP) and the Holocene (since 12,000 years BP). The cave has served multiple functions during its occupation, such as a kraal (enclosure) for animals, a place for the storage of oil rich fruits and as a hunting camp. Circular stone hearths and calcified dung remains of domesticated sheep as well as stone adzes and pottery art (painted stones) were excavated indicating that humans lived at the site and kept animals.
The excavation conducted by H.J. Deacon from 1974 to 1979 was part of an archaeological and palaeo-ecological study (including the Klasies River Caves) to provide information on changes in vegetation and fauna, the cultural sequence and the function of the cave in the area. Together the sequences of the Boomplaas Cave and the Klasies River have established a unique record of the last 125,000 years for the region and southern Africa.
Faunal remains are preserved in all layer that include bone accumulated through human occupation and the bones of rodents, accumulated by owls roosting in the cave when humans were absent. Comparative faunal samples were collected from carnivore lairs (hyena and leopard) in the valley and from other owl roosts and a vegetation survey of the surroundings was undertaken. Records provided a base for the interpretation of charcoal and plant remains and to assess the effects of climate fluctuations on vegetation and animal life.
Analysis of the artifacts in the Upper Pleistocene sequence suggest that the boundary between the Middle and Later Stone Age traditions is placed here between 30,000 and 40,000 years BP. and that while the Middle Stone Age populations may have been anatomically modern, their behaviour patterns do not show comparable continuity with the ethnographic present.
The stratigraphy of the deposits is very distinct and clearly visible and is documented in terms of sets of broadly contemporary layers (members), individual layers (units) and parts of layers (sub-units). The members recognised in the Boomplaas sequence are described as follows, from the top to the bottom.