INTERPRETING MIS3 ARTEFACT TRANSPORT PATTERNS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA USING CORTEX RATIOS: AN EXAMPLE FROM THE PUTSLAAGTE VALLEY, WESTERN CAPE

Recent studies hypothesise that the limited archaeological presence during the later Marine Isotope Stage 3 in southern Africa's Winter Rainfall Zone was caused by a reorganisation of land-use patterns by past groups in the region. In this study, we examine the composition of a lithic assemblage dated to this period at the site of Putslaagte 1 in the Doring River valley to investigate its formational history. Our findings indicate a substantial cortex deficit in the assemblage, likely caused by the transport of large and relatively thin flakes away from the assemblage locality.