What the study found
Newly discovered open-air sites along the Dorps River in the arid Karoo, South Africa, show multiple visits to this favoured habitat during the late Holocene Later Stone Age, around 3000–2000 BP.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors indicate that these sites add to archaeological coverage in a region where it has been uneven, and the findings suggest repeated use of this landscape during the period named in the abstract.
What the researchers tested
The researchers reported on newly discovered open-air archaeological sites along the Dorps River in Wolwekraal Nature Reserve, South Africa. The study focused on evidence from the late Holocene Later Stone Age, which the abstract dates to about 3000–2000 BP.
What worked and what didn't
The study found evidence consistent with multiple visits to the sites. No contrasting result, failure, or negative finding is described in the abstract.
What to keep in mind
The available summary is brief and does not describe the methods, number of sites, or detailed limitations. It also does not provide specific site-by-site results beyond the general statement of multiple visits.
Key points
- New open-air archaeological sites were found along the Dorps River in the arid Karoo, South Africa.
- The sites indicate multiple visits during the late Holocene Later Stone Age.
- The abstract places this period at about 3000–2000 BP.
- The authors say the sites help fill uneven archaeological coverage in the region.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- New open-air sites show repeated Later Stone Age visits in the Karoo
- Authors:
- John Parkington, Sue Milton-Dean, Ashley Christowitz, Stephen Wessels, Cédric Poggenpoel, Liora Kolska Horwitz
- Institutions:
- University of Cape Town, Department of Conservation, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-23
- OpenAlex record:
- View
Get the weekly research newsletter
Stay current with peer-reviewed research without reading academic papers — one filtered digest, every Friday.