Exploring life 70 000 years ago at the Sibudu Cave – Tongaat

Find out how some of the first humans lived on the Dolphin Coast as a world-renowned archaeologist shares his fascinating finds at the Pavilion Room, Simbithi Country Club at 6pm on April 4.

Prof Nick Conard of Tuebingen University, Germany and his team of international experts are currently doing further excavation work at the Sibudu Cave outside Tongaat, under the licence from the South African Historical Monuments Commission.

Friends of Sibudu chairman Derek Nicholson said while Ballito was only established in 1954, life on the Dolphin Coast goes back many, many years.

“Scientists have been digging on the prime 70 000-year-old cave site since 1998 and have found out a great deal about what life was like here back then. They have established that modern human beings occupied the cave on a continuous basis between 30 000 years ago and 80 000 years ago,” said Nicholson.

“The people who lived, worked and played on the 400 square metre platform had running water close by, and were protected from wild animals and attacks by being seven to ten metres above the river banks.”

He said they had stone tools of various shapes and sizes which have been found in great quantities by the archaeologists who also believe that it is one of the most productive Middle Stone Age sites in the entire world.

“These human beings – Homo Sapiens – also had bone arrow heads and bone awls so almost certainly they used animal skins to make clothing, bags and so on. They used ochre clay and tree resin to make a glue to connect shaped stones and bones to sticks as arrow and spear heads.”

There is evidence that they made snares to catch small animals and decorated themselves with threaded seashells and ochre.

“The archaeologists have dug down to about 80 000 years ago and expect to go further as they have not reached bedrock yet.”

Back then there were no modern human beings in North or South America, nor in Australasia, nor in most of Asia.

Further talks about the option of archaeology as a career will be held by Dr. Manuel Will at Umhlali Preparatory School on April 2 and at Curro School on April 3.

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