Application for isotopic work of archaeological hornfels, faunal teeth, and eggshell

This permit application requests permission to conduct destructive analysis of archaeological hornfels, ostrich eggshell, and faunal teeth recovered from excavations at Waterfall Bluff rock shelter, Eastern Cape Province. We propose to study 54 archaeological hornfels lithics, 7 ostrich eggshell beads, and 15 ungulate teeth for isotopic analysis. All isotopic analyses will be conducted at the University of Cape Town by South African scientists. All samples will be returned to the P5 laboratory at the East London Museum after the analyses are finished. The proposed isotopic measurements will provide robust and important information about paleoenvironments and paleodiets, exchange networks, hunting patterns, and raw material foraging patterns of Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers.