The stone implements of South Africa / by J.P. Johnson.

  • Johnson, J. P. (James Paul), 1880-1918
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The stone implements of South Africa / by J.P. Johnson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Nineteen examples are figured in the 1906 Report of the South African Association for the Advancement of Science. They are a similar assemblage to that illustrated from other localities in this chapter, and bear a close resemblance to the Solutric implements of Europe. Interesting are the extremely elongate kinds and the variety trimmed at both ends. These implements ai’e unquestionably newer than the alluvium. Together with them I found three or four chert scrapers, a multiple-grooved cylindrical piece of sandstone, a hemispherical stone with a hole bored to a depth of about one and a-half centimetres from the flat side, numerous ostrich egg-shell frag- ments, a bead made of same, and the half of a glass bead. This last probably has no connexion with the other objects. Boshof. Boshof is an extremely arid district consisting of bare un- dulating veld dotted with innumerable pans, the only variety being afforded by an occasional bush-covered kopje or randje. I have three typical tongue- and almond-shaped Palaeolithic implements from there, one each from the Schaapfontein-Dieplaagte and Elandsput pans, and one from Meerlandsvlei. They are made of a peculiar black aphanite, rounded pieces of which are not uncommon, in the neighbourhood, and are much worn and deeply weathere'd, the facets being nearly obliterated and the outside much changed in colour. Their ancient appearance, viewed in the light of the data given in previous chapters, leads me to conclude that they are much older than the group about to be described. On the side of the smallest of the five Daraplaats pans I picked up the neat little implement represented by Figure 12. It is not unlike the typical Palaeolithic implements in shape, but though worn, probably belongs to the newer group, as also does the even smaller and thinner, but equally worn, example from Langlaagte shown in Figure 11. The implements of the newer group are a similar assemblage to that from the Junction of the Riet and Modder Rivers, and are mostly made of the same pecuhar aphanite. They occur in great quantity on the sites of prehistoric settlements. These
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