Later stone age herd management strategies in western South Africa: Evaluating sheep demographics and faunal composition

Most archaeological research of Later Stone Age (LSA) herding in southern Africa focuses on origins, while the complex socio-economic motives have been largely unexplored. This paper investigates evidence for herd management strategies by incorporating ethnohistoric and existing faunal data. We used ternary plots to statistically compare theoretical kill-off patterns (meat, milk, social risk reduction) with sheep age-at-death profiles from both historical meat provisioning stations and LSA herder sites. We found 1) a statistical fit between theoretical meat profiles and historical meat provisioning sites and 2) variability in LSA sheep management practices. The dominance of juvenile sheep and abundant wild fauna at south coast sites indicates dairying. West coast sites reflect a mixed/meat strategy, but the Kasteelberg A ternary plot overlaps all three theoretical models. Jakkalsberg B presents a meat signal by centering on prime adults. The wealth of ochre, beads, and ethnohistoric evidence from Jakkalsberg B suggests that this was an aggregation site with ritualized feasting. Thus, the unexpected abundance of juveniles and old sheep at Kasteelberg A may reflect a palimpsest, longer-term occupation, and/or an intensified period of ritual feasting. This methodological approach can be used in any archaeological context where the age-at-death of domesticates is known.