Cave of Hearths Coprolite pollen

Pollen Analysis from the Cave of Hearths Kitching Hyena Sample
The Cave of Hearths (CoH), located in the Makapan Valley in the Limpopo Province close to the modern town of Mokopane, has long been an influential site to trace the evolution of hominins in southern Africa. The CoH, excavated by Revil Mason in the early 1950s, has occupations dating from the Early, Middle (MSA) and Later Stone Age (LSA), Iron Age and historical periods (Mason 1969; 1988, McNabb and Sinclair 2009).

In 1975, James W. Kitching, then at the Bernhard Price Institute (today part of the Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand), collected animal remains from loose rubble at the back of the CoH, but outside the excavated area of Mason. According to Kitching, the collection of bones corresponds to the upper MSA and LSA beds of the CoH. Radiocarbon dating of bone from the sample was unsuccessful due to poor collagen preservation. However, the sample dates from the late Quaternary.

The archaeological fauna from this sample is currently being studied for an MSc degree by Anelisiwe Siteto (under the supervision of S. Badenhorst). The sample is housed at the Evolutionary Studies Institute. During the faunal analysis of Siteto, 10 coprolites were found amongst the fauna. These are:

- 7 brown hyena coprolites
- 1 possible impala coprolite
- 1 indeterminate Bovid coprolite
- 1 possible tortoise coprolite

Palynology is the scientific study of pollen and spores, those virtually indestructible, microscopic, but easily identifiable plant parts found in archaeological sites, coprolites and adjacent soils and water bodies. These tiny organic materials are most commonly used to identify past environmental climates (palaeo-environmental reconstruction), and track changes in climate over a period ranging from seasons to millennia.

With this application, I am requesting permission for destructive sampling to study the pollen and phytoliths (in collaboration with Prof. Marion Bamford, Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, who will study the samples) of:
1 x brown hyena coprolite (carnivore). BP/21/467
1 x indeterminate Bovid coprolite (herbivore). BP/21/476
1 x impala coprolite (mixed feeder). BP/21/465

The study requires between 1 and 10g of each of the coprolites. As a result, the three coprolites will be destroyed, since they are small and lightweight.

I am requesting permission for destructive sampling of three of the coprolites for pollen and phytolith analysis at the University of the Witwatersrand, in collaboration with Prof. Marion Bamford. All efforts will be made to retain a witness section of the coprolites for further studies. However, the slides produced from the study will be retained at the ESI.

References
- Mason, R. 1969. Prehistory of the Transvaal. A record of human activity. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.
- Mason, R. 1988. Cave of Hearths, Makapansgat, Transvaal. Occasional Paper 21. Archaeological Research Unit. Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand.
- McNabb, J. and Sinclair, A. G. M. (editors) 2009. The Cave of Hearths: Makapan Middle Pleistocene Research Project. Oxford: Archaeopress.

Methodology (short):
In archaeology, the extraction of pollen and phytoliths typically begins with collecting sediment samples from stratigraphically relevant contexts. For pollen analysis, the sediment is processed through a series of chemical treatments, including hydrochloric acid (HCl), potassium hydroxide (KOH), and acetolysis, to remove unwanted materials such as carbonates, clays, and organic matter, leaving the pollen grains for microscopic examination. Phytolith extraction follows a similar process but often requires heavy liquid flotation (using dense solutions like zinc bromide or sodium polytungstate) to separate the silica-based phytoliths from other sediment components. Both microfossils are then identified and analyzed under a microscope to reconstruct past vegetation and environmental conditions.