Sehonghong (ALP)
Basic information
Sample name: Sehonghong (ALP)

Reference: I. Plug and P. Mitchell. 2008. Sehonghong: hunter-gatherer utilization of animal resources in the highlands of Lesotho. Annals of the Transvaal Museum 45:31-53 [ER 3742]
Geography
Country: Lesotho

State: Thaba-Tseka

Coordinate: 30° 46' S, 29° 47' E
Latlng basis: stated in text

Time interval: Holocene

Section: 3742

Unit number: 3

Unit order: above to below

Max Ma: 0.00729

Min Ma: 0.00701

Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)

Geography comments: "Sehonghong is a large rock-shelter on the banks of the Sehonghong River, close to its confluence with the Senqu (Orange/Gariep) in the Thaba Tseka District of the highlands of Lesotho. The site lies at an elevation of 1800 m above sea level".
"Layer ALP produced four highly similar radiocarbon dates ranging from 7290 ± 80 BP to 7010 ± 70 BP, with a mean value of 7150 BP".

Environment
Lithology: ash

Taphonomic context: human accumulation, rock shelter

Archaeology: hearths, stone tools, other structures

Habitat comments: "Layer ALP (Ashy Loam with Plants) consists of a series of predominantly reddish-brown or black ashy loams, many of which contain partly humified plant remains. It contained one pit and two shallow hearths, along with a ‘later Oakhurst’ lithic assemblage, featuring many retouched tools".
"While not all of the animal remains in the deposit would have been accumulated by people, the intense degree of fragmentation and burning that characterizes the Sehonghong assemblages strongly suggests that people were responsible for acquiring almost all of the faunal remains".

Methods
Life forms: carnivores, primates, rodents, ungulates, other large mammals, other small mammals, birds, lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs, fishes, clams, snails

Sampling methods: quarry, screenwash

Sample size: 1287 specimens

Sampled by: P. Mitchell

Years: 1992

Net or trap nights: 0

Basal area status: not applicable

Sampling comments: "The primary excavation of the site was conducted by P. Mitchell in 1992. All sediment removed from the deposits was dry-sieved through a 1.5 mm mesh".
For Layer ALP, "188 buckets of deposit were removed in 39 units".

Metadata
Sample no: 3981

Contributor no: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-08-25 13:25:17

Modified: 2023-05-30 01:41:18

Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
39 species
8 singletons
total count 1287
geometric series index: 57.5
Fisher's α: 7.589
geometric series k: 0.8671
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.901
Shannon's H: 2.6831
Good's u: 0.9938
Register
Papio hamadryas (hamadryas baboon)12312.0 kg
Vulpes chama (Cape fox)12.7 kg
Canis mesomelas (black-backed jackal)47.9 kg
Suricata suricatta 1663.0 g
also 6 Herpestidae indet.
Proteles cristatus (aardwolf)1
Caracal caracal (caracal)6
Felis lybica (African wildcat)24.5 kg
"Felis silvestris"; also 1 Felis sp. and 7 Carnivora indet.
Equus quagga (plains zebra)30
Procavia capensis (rock hyrax)2252.8 kg
Phacochoerus africanus (common warthog)482.0 kg
Connochaetes gnou (black wildebeest)44
Alcelaphus buselaphus (hartebeest)13
also 2 Alcelaphinae indet.
Sylvicapra grimmia (common duiker)313.0 kg
Antidorcas marsupialis (springbok)440.0 kg
Oreotragus oreotragus (klipspringer)115
Ourebia ourebi (oribi)414.0 kg
Raphicerus campestris (steenbok)379.7 kg
Pelea capreolus (grey rhebok)10716.0 kg
Hippotragus cf. leucophaeus (bluebuck)1
Taurotragus oryx (common eland)32
"Tragelaphus oryx"
Redunca arundinum (southern reedbuck)1
Redunca fulvorufula (mountain reedbuck)729.0 kg
also 817 Bovidae indet.
Pedetes capensis 22.4 kg
Hystrix africaeaustralis 1515.0 kg
Otomys sp. 59
Cryptomys sp. 3
also 62 Rodentia indet.
Pronolagus sp. 1
Lepus saxatilis 292.0 kg
also 3 Lepus sp. and 81 Lagomorpha indet.
Struthio camelus 1111.0 kg
Scleroptila cf. afra 3
"Scleroptila cf. africanus"; also 62 Aves indet.
Testudinidae indet.1
"Tortoise"
Serpentes indet.16
Pseudocordylus sp. 2
also 16 Lacertilia indet.
Anura indet.22
"Frog/toad"
Achatina sp. 105
also 16 Gastropoda indet.: including 1 "Bulinus/Succinea"
Unio caffer 9
also 33 Unionidae indet.
Labeobarbus aeneus 226
Labeo capensis 13
also 472 Labeoninae indet.
Austroglanis sclateri 15