Canteen Kopje
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| Canteen Kopje Earlier Stone Age archaeological site, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. |
The Canteen Kopje Earlier Stone Age archaeological site is located in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. This site is famous for its extensive alluvial sequence containing tens of thousands of stone artefacts. One of the most notable findings at the site is the presence of Victoria West prepared-core technology within one of the alluvial units. The development of prepared-core technology is seen as a cognitive advance within the Acheulean tradition. As such, the Victoria West lithics have received a great deal of research focus and academic debate over the last century. In addition to the Victoria West, the site also preserves pre-Victoria West Acheulean technology.
The aims of the research at this site are focused around three main goals:
- Reconstruction of the geomorphological history of the various alluvial deposits.
- Determination of the age of the stone tool assemblages using the cosmogenic nuclide burial dating method.
- Analyses of the lithic artefacts to better understand hominid mental capabilities.
Research at the site is conducted in conjunction with the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and Purdue University in the USA.
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