Abstract
ONE of the biggest drawbacks to the proper study of prehistoric archaeology in South Africa has been, and still is, the complete absence of a properly worked out and correlated geological background. The advances and recessions of ice sheets during the Quaternary provide this background in Europe, and broadly speaking, the existence of the geological canvas has not only created a great stimulus to research in prehistory generally, but has actually become an essential feature of the proper study of the subject. In South Africa there is unfortunately no such background. Prehistorians will therefore be interested to know that the Directors of the Geolo-gical Survey and the Bureau of Archaeology of the Union of South Africa have arranged a joint and detailed geological and archaeological survey of certain vital sections of the Vaal and Riet River Valleys and their tributaries, with special reference to climatic and other conditions during the Quaternary. These valleys hold the secrets of climatic fluctuations and earth movements that were experienced in post-Pliocene times in South Africa, secrets that may be found to be intimately interrelated with climatic fluctuations and movements in other parts of the world in East Africa and Europe particularly. If correlation is possible and earth movements and ‘pluvial’ and interpluvial conditions here can be satisfactorily correlated with similar conditions in East and Central Africa and with glacial and interglaeial conditions in palaearctic regions, we must ultimately be led to a better, if not a proper appreciation of the relative time horizons when men practising similar material cultures appeared on the scene in these continental extremes. The issue is of the greatest moment in that men who made Chelles-like tools are believed to have appeared in Southern Africa during early Pleistocene times, and this new undertaking, sponsored entirely by the State and under strict control, therefore represents the greatest step forward prehistory has known for some time.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Archæological Research in South Africa. Nature 136, 998–999 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/136998b0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/136998b0