Anyskop Blowout Prehistoric Dataset, Western Cape, South Africa

These Stone Age archaeological datasets were collected in 2001 and 2002 by a team from the Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology of the University of Tübingen (Germany) headed by Nicholas J. Conard. Many South African researchers collaborated on this project, with Pippa Haarhoff, John Compton, Dave Roberts, and Stephan Woodborne deserving special mention.

The field work took place at the Anyskop Blowout (ANY1) located within the West Coast Fossil Park near Langebaanweg, Western Cape, South Africa. The field work was conducted with the help of students from the universities of Tübingen and Cape Town. The datasets are predominantly in English (with some German as well) and include field data in the MAIN table. Further analytical data for many classes of artifacts include: LITHICS, FAUNA, POTTERY, MODERN, BUCKETS, REFITS.

All collected materials are curated by the Iziko South African Museums in Cape Town under accession numbers SAM-AA-8903 (finds collected by other teams before 2001) and SAM-AA-9007 (finds from this study, 2001-2002). Some of the finds are exhibited in the museum at the West Coast Fossil Park.

Funding for this research project came mainly from the German Research Foundation (DFG - CO 226/5-1, 5-2, 5-5 and 5-6) and the University of Tübingen. Significant support was provided by the Iziko South African Museums, the West Coast Fossil Park, and the University of Cape Town.