Web report and photographs by Waldemar Wellmann
The archaeology weekend was held at Pilanesberg, with the now-familiar Potokwane camp as our base. On Friday evening, the usual task of writing a test had to be completed before we could relax and enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Coming towards the end of Winter, Saturday morning dawned with no one having frozen and turned into an archaeological specimen during the night. We drove to the Education Centre to commence lectures and discover the details of archaeology. The lecture took us all the way from Pre-Stone Age Australopithecus africanus to late Iron Age Homo sapiens sapiens – a 3.5 million year progression in just a few hours.
We visited some Iron Age settlements found in Pilanesberg on Saturday afternoon. The first site visited has reconstructed walls with the cattle kraal in the centre of the settlement, indicating the importance of cattle to the inhabitants.
We then visited one of Chief Pilane’s (after whom Pilanesberg was named) settlements. It is situated on a hill, and not much remains of the ruins. Due to Pilanesberg’s topography, it is common for settlements to be located on hills, which affects the shape of the settlement.
We spent Saturday night relaxing around the fire. On Sunday morning, we visited two further settlements. One Early Stone Age settlement where pottery chips could still be found, even though extensive water erosion had occurred. The other site was on top of a hill where the cattle would not be visible to passers-by.
The weekend was a fascinating journey back in time.
Thank you to everyone involved.