MID-HOLOCENE TO LATE-HOLOCENE SEA-LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS - THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE AT TORTOISE CAVE, SOUTH-WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH-AFRICA

Current reconstructions of sea-level history provide information on gross changes, but lack detail as to the exact course and timing of sea-level change. In this article, evidence is presented of minor but important sea-level fluctuations since the mid-Holocene sea-level high at the south-western Cape. These oscillations consisted of two regressive events at about 4200 BP and 3500-2800 BP, and one transgressive episode at 4000 BP. The negative oscillations were closely timed with the global climatic changes experienced in the Southern Hemisphere during neoglacial episodes. The interpretations in this article are based on the analysis of the shellfish remains and certain types of marine sediments present in the archaeological deposits of Tortoise Cave.