Rose Cottage Cave

Rose Cottage Cave, located in the Free State of South Africa, is a significant archaeological site due to its extensive occupation history from the Middle Stone Age to the Later Stone Age. The cave's stratified deposits reveal a long sequence of human habitation spanning over 100,000 years. The site is notable for its evidence of early modern human behavior, particularly in tool technology and ochre use, highlighting significant cultural and technological innovations. The Howiesons Poort industry, found within the cave, demonstrates advanced cognitive and symbolic behaviors through the production of composite tools. The site provides valuable insights into the adaptation and variability of early human hunter-gatherers during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, making it a crucial location for understanding the movement and development of early modern humans out of Africa.