Melkhoutboom Cave

Melkhoutboom Cave, located in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, is a significant Later Stone Age archaeological site. Situated in the Cape Folded Mountain Belt, this cave has revealed a rich record of human habitation spanning several millennia. Key findings include evidence of domestic use with hearths, artistic contributions like cave paintings, and burial practices evidenced by child graves. The artefactual record shows a transition in subsistence strategies and tool technologies, particularly through the phases known as the Wilton, Albany, and Robberg industries. The cave's sequence illustrates shifts in environmental and social dynamics from the terminal Pleistocene to the Holocene, indicating a movement towards more sedentary lifestyles and diversified food resources. This site provides invaluable insights into the adaptation and evolution of human populations in southern Africa during the Later Stone Age.